The Ancient Legacy
by Sailor Heva
Summary: Esteban, Zia, and Tao's adventures continue as they search for the six remaining cities of gold.
1. Flight to the West

Flight to the West

Esteban sat at the controls of the Condor, guiding the flight of the golden bird. How he loved flying! It was so much a part of him now that he could hardly remember a time when he was afraid of heights. The Golden Condor flew west across a vast country.

"We have been flying for a long time," Zia noted, breaking the long silence.

Tao nodded. "We'll probably want to find somewhere to land soon and try to cross the Pacific tomorrow."

"All right," Esteban agreed, "let's look for a good place to spend the night." He continued to fly towards the setting sun while the other two children scanned the landscape speeding past beneath them.

They had crossed a wide body of water shortly after leaving the land of the Mayas, but Esteban knew from speaking with Mendoza that this was merely a great gulf and not the Pacific Ocean. The condor eventually began to fly again over land, which land steadily rose until they were flying over high mountains. But, abruptly, the mountains dropped away to reveal a great valley, cloaked in mist.

"Oh, how lovely," Zia sighed at the breathtaking view.

"What's that in the center of the valley?" Esteban asked, learning forward to get a better view of the land beneath them.

Both Tao and Zia gazed down at an object shining in the light of the sunset.

Squinting, Tao said, "It looks like a huge lake."

Esteban banked the condor in a large arch so they could all get a better look. "To bad the mists are covering most of it," he said gazing at the water. "Still, it might be a good idea to spend the night on the banks of the lake. Let's see if we can find a good place to land." They sat in silence for the next few minutes, scrutinizing the land around the lake.

"What is that!" Tao exclaimed suddenly, almost pressing his face against the glass dome of the Condor. The other two children followed the direction of his gaze, looking for what had caught the Hevan boy's interest.

"Oh," Esteban said in awe. "It's a city!"

"But I don't see anyone down there," Zia put in. "It looks like it's deserted."

"Shall we take a look?" Tao asked.

"Yes!" Esteban agreed enthusiastically as he brought the Condor around to land in a wide avenue at the center of the city.

As soon as the Golden Condor had ceased all movement and the glass dome of the cockpit had opened, the three children slipped to the ground.

"Amazing!" Tao said joyfully as he looked around in wonder.

"It's unbelievable," Esteban agreed. He glanced at the setting sun. "We still have quite a while before the sun sets. Shall we explore this place?"

"Yes!" the other two children replied immediately and followed Esteban as he set out for the largest structure in the ruined city, a colossal pyramid that dwarfed any they had seen before in the Maya lands. Beyond it, further down the avenue, they could see another pyramid that was only slightly smaller than the one which was their goal.

Standing at the base of the huge pyramid, Esteban, Tao and Zia stared up at the summit which seemed to touch the heavens. "Come on, Zia," he said taking the Inca girl's hand and together they climbed the steps leading up to the apotheosis of the monument. It seemed to take an eternity. By the time they reached the top, both children were gasping for breath.

When he had recovered, Esteban turned to survey the way they had come. "Even the Condor looks small from here," he laughed. "Who could have built this enormous city?" He automatically turned to Tao to hear his answer, but was surprised to see only Zia. "Where has Tao gone?"

Zia was confused as he was. "He was with us at the base of the pyramid," she said, shrugging helplessly.

The pair peered out over the ruins, searching for some sign of their friend while their calls echoed eerily off the stones. After a few moments, they saw a small turquoise dot rise up from the buildings below and fly towards them. "Zia, Zia, Esteban, Zia," Kokapetl called to them.

"Tao must have sent him to fetch us," Zia concluded.

"I guess we'll have to go see what he wants," Esteban sighed. "And after we went to all the trouble to climb up here!"

They carefully retraced their steps down the treacherous stone steps while Kokapetl flew in circles above their heads saying, "Careful! Careful!" As soon as they had reached the last step, Kokapetl flew off to the east. Esteban and Zia had to run as fast as they could to keep the bird in sight as he led them down the wide avenue. To their surprise, the parrot took them toward the section of the city that was not dominated by the two huge pyramids. They picked their way through rubble and crumbling masonry until, at last, they spotted their friend.

Tao stood in front of another pyramid although this one seemed tiny when compared to the other mountainous structures of the city.

"What are you doing here, Tao?" Esteban asked incredulously. "Why didn't you come with us?"

"Look," Tao simply said in reply, pointing to the pyramid.

Zia and Esteban's gaze turned to see what had captured the Hevan boy's attention...and gasped in astonishment. The pyramid, though small and unassuming from a distance, was elaborately decorated with stone carvings of a figure that was very familiar to them.

"The Winged Serpent!" they gasped together.

Tao nodded. "I wanted to know whether this city had any connection to the Cities of Gold and decided to look for a statue of the Serpent like the ones we found in the three ruined cities in the Maya lands." He laughed and winked at his friends. "But this temple was a surprise even to me!"

Esteban stepped up to the base of the pyramid and examined one the Serpent heads more closely. The sun had almost disappeared behind the mountains to the west and long shadows draped across the valley giving the serpent statues an unearthly appearance. Esteban felt he could almost see them moving.

"I feel like we were meant to come here," Zia whispered, "just as we were meant to find the three ruins and the Burning Shield."

"Yes," Esteban agreed.

"This place must hide some secret," Tao concluded as the sun finally sank from view, "and we are going to find it!"

_**What lies in store for Esteban, Zia and Tao in this strange new city? What secrets does it hide? Find out in Chapter 2: The City of the Gods.**_


	2. The City of the Gods

**The City of the Gods**

As the sun rose the following morning, Kokapedl stirred and flew down and landed on Tao's chest.

"Wake up! Wake up! Tao it's day!" In response Tao rolled over, nearly squashing his pet, and continued to sleep. The parrot seemed to decide it was safer to circle around the sleeping children as he continued to try to wake them up. "Tao, Tao, Esteban, Tao!"

Finally Esteban sat up and rubbed his eyes. Looking around, he realized where they were. "Tao! Zia! Let's go explore the ruins!"

Standing in front of the strange pyramid again it seemed less threatening, but no less mysterious in the light of morning. A ring of ruined buildings enclosed a vast courtyard surrounding the pyramid. The temple itself had six platforms, each elaborately decorated with images of water, seashells and the Winged Serpent. At the front of the structure was a stairway leading to a shrine at the summit.

The children carefully climbed the stone steps, each glancing at the Feathered Serpent heads that lined their path. Reaching the apex, the trio stopped outside the temple and did not move for several minutes. Large pillars framed the opening, each of which was carved to look like a serpent.

Esteban laughed slightly, breaking the silence, "We're acting like were afraid to go inside." The other two children laughed a little and followed him into the pyramid.

As their eyes adjusted to the dimmed light, they gasped in astonishment at the site before them. On the walls of the temple was an elaborate mural. Wound around the panel facing them was an image of the Feathered Serpent. It was surrounded with images of trees, assortments of animals, and at the very center, a golden sun, all painted in vivid detail. Tao frowned in concentration as he stepped forward to examine the mural more closely.

"Do you understand any of it, Tao?" Zia asked, moving to stand beside the Hevan boy while Esteban walked around the perimeter of the room. He didn't answer. "Tao?"

He shook his head and looked at her. "They don't mean anything. They're just pictures!" he said angrily, sinking to the floor.

"Don't be upset, Tao," Zia consoled him. "I'm sure we can learn something here."

As she spoke, Esteban paused to examine the head of the Feathered Serpent. "Hey," he said looking into the eye of the Serpent. "I think there is something here."

"Let me see!" Tao exclaimed jumping to his feet and pushing the other boy aside. "You're right." Reaching up, Tao fingered the edge of the serpent's eye. "Hmm . . . that doesn't seem to do anything," he murmured trying to press the eye in.

"Try pulling on it," Esteban suggested.

"Right," Tao agreed. He worked his fingers into the small seem circling the curious feature. After a moment, he managed to pull it out of the wall slightly. "That's done it!" he exclaimed in triumph. Behind them a small section of the floor slid open to reveal a narrow flight of stairs leading down into the bowels of the temple. The children turned to survey the secret passage.

"It looks dark down there," Zia said standing behind Esteban.

Esteban nodded. "We had better make some torches."

Esteban led the way down the long, stone steps. They were so narrow the trio could only walk carefully in single file. The walls of the passage were decorated much the same way as the chamber above, save the animals here seemed completely foreign. Their small torches did little to light their way in the heavy darkness of the temple.

"We've been walking a long time," Esteban said wanting to break the silence.

"We must be beneath the temple," Tao replied. As he spoke, Esteban reached the last step and stopped in his tracks. The passage opened into a vast chamber. "Now this is more like it!" Tao shouted joyfully as the torches lit the walls nearest to them and revealed panel after panel covered with hieroglyphics.

As the Hevan boy examined the panel to the right of the stairway, Esteban and Zia surveyed the other walls. They quickly noticed brackets lining the walls and Esteban touched his torch to the fixture, promptly hopping back as it sparked and flared to life.

"Excellent!" Tao said, glancing up. "Light the rest of them, Esteban. I might be able to work out what these murals say."

"All right."

Zia took Tao's torch and the pair worked their way around opposite walls, lighting the sconces. They met at the center of the wall opposite the stairway . . . and stepped back in amazement. Giant doors of stone stood before them. They were plain save for an image of the Feathered Serpent twined around two sun disks, which gleamed of gold in the light.

"Tao! Come and see!"

The other boy jumped up and ran to stand next to his friends. For a moment they all stood silently, speechless. At last Esteban steeped forward to examine wholes at the center of the two suns. He pulled the crescent part of his medallion from under his shirt and aligned it with the openings.

"It's the same size," he said quietly.

"We need the medallions to solve this puzzle," Tao concluded. Esteban and Zia nodded.

"But our medallions were left in the doors of the city of gold when it was destroyed!"

_**As they try to solve this new mystery, Esteban, Tao and Zia find more they bargained for. Next Time: Chapter Three - Dangerous Discoveries.**_


	3. Dangerous Discoveries

Dangerous Discoveries

Tao stood examining the hieroglyphics that ran along the walls of the great chamber. Holding his encyclopedia in one hand, he ran his fingers of his other hand along the strange writing. Behind him, near the base of the stairs, Esteban and Zia slept quietly. It had been hours since the children had discovered the mysterious room hidden deep within the pyramid of the Winged Serpent and the great golden gateway that only the medallions of the sun could open.

In spite of this discovery, Tao was certain that there were other secrets about the Cities of Gold to be learned in this strange temple. The Hevan boy stood in silence in the great chamber using his encyclopedia to decipher the writing on the walls.

Behind him, Esteban sat up and yawned. "Find anything Tao?" he asked his friend as he stood up and stretched. He walked over to his friend as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Tao sighed and allowed his book to slide into his lap. "There is so much information here it is hard to know where to begin," the Hevan boy replied. "It is going to take a long time to translate all of this.

Zia, awakened by their talk, moved to stand by Esteban. "Maybe Esteban and I should go find something for us to eat," she suggested.

Tao nodded, picking up his encyclopedia again. "That would be very helpful," he said as he went back to work.

Esteban and Zia emerged from the pyramid into the sunlight, with Kokapedl flying just above their heads. The sun shone done upon them, the time being only a little past midday. As they walked through the maze of buildings, the pair studied their decorations.

"Who could have built such a huge city?" Esteban wondered aloud as he stopped to admire another temple covered with carved images.

"I don't know," Zia replied. "We have traveled far beyond the lands of the Maya. This city must have been built by some other people."

Esteban thought for a few moments before shaking his head in confusion. "There must be people living in this valley. Perhaps we could learn something about this city from them."

Zia nodded and added, "We may also be able to get some provisions."

"Yes," Esteban agreed enthusiastically and he turned in the direction of the Condor.

The two children took their time walking through the ruins, exploring and marveling at its size and complexity. Kokapedl eventually settled on Esteban's shoulder, tired from flying around the area.

They finally reached the wide avenue at the center of the complex. Esteban stared up at the towering pyramid that dominated the thoroughfare. Deep in thought, he didn't notice Zia stop and gasp or Kokapedl fly from his shoulder in alarm. But his attention was snapped back to the present when he heard an unfamiliar voice calling out, "Hey you, stop right there!" Esteban stared in horror at the sight before him. The Golden Condor, perhaps two hundred feet in front of him, was surrounded by several Spanish soldiers. The commander of the Spanish forces yelled to his men, "Bring me those children!"

Esteban stumbled back as the soldiers ran forward to capture them. "Come on Zia!" he yelped, grabbing the Inca girl's hand as they ran back the way they had come. They stumbled over crumbling masonry as they desperately tried to lose their pursuers, but the soldiers were relentless. Kokapedl flew in front of the children, helping them find their way in the labyrinth of structures.

Making a quick succession of quick turns, Esteban ducked into one of the stone houses and crouched into a corner of the building with Zia beside him. Hardly daring to breathe, the two children listened as the soldiers passed by their hiding place and continued on farther into the ruins. An eternity seemed to pass before either dared to speak.

"I think they are gone," Esteban whispered. "But where could these soldiers have come from?"

Zia shook her head. "I don't know, but we must get back to Tao," she said.

Esteban nodded and crept to the doorway. Seeing and hearing nothing, Esteban took Zia's hand and stepped into the open. They moved stealthily towards the great courtyard and the temple of the Winged Serpent. Clinging to the edge of the buildings to give them some cover, the two children crossed the open space, nearing the temple. But just when safety assured, a voice bellowed from above them, "Commander, I've found those children!"

The children looked up to see soldiers coming over the walls of the walls, practically on top of them. "Halt in the name of the Viceroy!" one soldier called as another jumped into the courtyard knocking Esteban to the ground.

"Esteban!" Zia screamed.

"Run Zia!" Esteban yelled. "Get away!" As the boy struggled to free himself from the grip of the soldier, a golden disk fell from his pocket and rolled to Zia's feet. The Inca girl grabbed up the key to the condor, but stood rooted to the ground where she stood. "Zia run away!" Esteban shouted again though he was unable to break free of the soldier who had captured him.

Zia finally turned to run as the other soldiers jumped to the ground. She fled in the direction of the Serpent's Pyramid, desperately clutching the golden disk as Kokapedl flew above her squawking, "Danger! Danger!"

The soldiers were only a hundred paces behind the girl when she reached the first step of the pyramid. She rushed to the temple and carefully made her way around the opening of the secret passage in front of the mural of the Winged Serpent. She pushed in the eye of the Serpent and turned to Kokapedl as the passage sealed itself. "Take the sun disk and fly away, Kokapedl," she said holding the disk out to the parrot. "Take it and hide!" The intelligent bird gripped the disk and flew out of the temple as the first soldier entered.

The soldier smirked as he walked toward Zia. "You chose a poor hiding place, little girl."

Zia did not respond, but calmly followed the soldiers who led her back to Esteban.

**_What fate awaits Zia and Esteban now that they have been captured by Spanish soldiers? And where did these Spaniards come from? Find out in Chapter Four of The Ancient Legacy: The City on the Lake._**


	4. The City on the Lake

The City on the Lake

The soldiers brought Zia and Esteban back to their captain who was still examining the Condor. "Here are those children Captain Diaz."

"Well done, soldier," Diaz said, as he looked Esteban and Zia over. "What are you children doing in this place?" he asked them. "Where did you come from? Do you know something about this great golden bird?" The Captain asked gesturing to the condor.

"Why should we answer your questions?" Esteban retorted angrily. "You have taken us as your prisoners when we have done nothing wrong."

The Captain folded his arms and stared at the two children sternly. "You ran from my soldiers. If you were completely innocent you would not have had any reason to hide from us. So I will ask you again, what are you doing here and what do you know of this?" Esteban and Zia remained silent, refusing to answer. The Captain sighed. "Very well, you will come with us. I must make my report to the Viceroy and I am sure he will be able to extract an answer to these questions."

The soldiers marched out into the valley, taking Esteban and Zia with them. Captain Diaz and his lieutenant each rode a horse and carried one of the children with them while the other men in the company marched behind. Diaz had left a small number of his men at the ruined city to guard the Golden Condor until the Viceroy decided what was to be done with the great golden bird. Diaz almost regretted having to inform his Excellency, the Viceroy of New Spain. Between the shares that would be taken by the Marquis, the Viceroy, and the Emperor, there would be little treasure left for himself.

Hours passed and the sun began to sink toward the horizon. The Captain pushed on across the valley, rarely stopping to rest. Esteban's thoughts were of nothing but escape yet the soldiers were wary and presented the children with no opportunities. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains that rimmed the valley, the soldiers set up camp for the night.

Zia quietly moved closer to Esteban as Captain Diaz barked orders to his soldiers. "What can we do Esteban?" the Inca girl asked, her voice shaking. "Tao is trapped in the Temple of the Winged Serpent. I was afraid of what would happen if the soldier discovered the hidden chamber, but Tao is trapped..." her voice faded, afraid to continue.

Esteban shook his head in frustration. "I don't see any way we can escape. Diaz's soldiers aren't going to give us any opportunities. We just have to be patient," Esteban said, taking Zia's hand, "and hope."

The sun rose the following day as the troop of soldiers and their two prisoners continued their march. In the distance, the children could see something shinning in the light of the morning sun. As their horses drew closer to the glimmer, the children could see it was caused by sunlight dancing across the surface of a large lake.

"This must be the lake we saw from the condor, Esteban," Zia whispered.

The boy nodded. "But where are they taking us?" he questioned.

Time continued to pass as the soldiers followed the edge of the lake. At last, Esteban could see an object on the water in the distance. Drawing closer, he could see a causeway spanning the lake. A group of soldiers saluted the Captain Diaz as he rode past and continued out onto the causeway. As they crossed over the azure water, Esteban noticed places where the bridge could be pulled up to create a gap in the expanse of the causeway. The boy wondered if this was designed to keep invaders out or the inhabitants of this place in.

"Esteban!" Zia gasped. "Look!"

Esteban looked up and caught his breath in surprise at the sight of the city that lay before them. Rising up from the lake was a vast city of stone built on an island at the heart of the lake. Canoes darted through the canals created by green floating gardens as the children were taken into the city.

Traveling through the city, the children were astonished by the number of people around them. Spaniards, natives and soldiers went about their business in the streets of the island city.

"What is this place?" Esteban asked, unable to contain the question.

The Captain looked at Esteban strangely and answered, "This is Mexico City, the capital of New Spain."

At the center of the city, they entered a huge plaza that was bordered by a cathedral and a grand palace, which seemed to be the soldier's destination. More Spanish soldiers guarded the main entrance of the palace, one of whom, a lieutenant, stepped in front of Captain Diaz as they approached.

"I have important information for his Excellency. Let me pass!"

The lieutenant nodded and led Diaz and the children into the richly appointed palace. They were taken to a large set of doors, behind which could be heard two men arguing in raised voices. After a moment of hesitation, their guide knocked on the doors. The argument quickly faded and a voice called out, "Enter."

The soldier entered, saluted, and announced, "Captain Diaz is here to make his report."

"Show him in, Lieutenant, "the voice ordered.

Diaz quickly herded the two children into the richly appointed room, which was occupied by two very different men. The man who had bidden them to enter was seated behind a large desk, his gaze keen though not unkind.

His companion stood in front of the desk, and was his complete opposite. This man's body was very lean and wiry, and suffering had marked his face. But it was this man's gaze that stopped Esteban and Zia in their tracks. Though the two children had never seen him before, this man immediately brought their memories of Francisco Pizarro to their thoughts. This man was a conquistador.

As the two children stared in stunned silence, Captain Diaz stepped forward and saluted the two men. "Viceroy Mendoza, Marquis Cortés, I have much to report."

**_As Zia and Esteban and Zia face the Viceroy of Mexico, Antonio de Mendoza, and the county's conqueror, Don Hernán Cortés, Tao struggles to escape from the Temple of the Winged Serpent. Next Time: Chapter Five - Alone in the Dark._**


	5. Alone in the Dark

Alone in the Dark

Tao sat in the center of the hidden chamber, completely still, trying to fathom all that he had read. Like the hieroglyphics in the first ruined city and the third manuscript, the writing here seemed to be relating part of the history of the Cities of Gold. If he had translated correctly, there was something very important behind the great doors of this chamber.

Tao's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. The boy looked up in surprise. In the torch light of the great chamber he had no way of knowing how long he had been translating, save that he was very hungry. The Hevan boy slowly stood up, stretching his cramped limbs. _Zia and Esteban must have been distracted by something_, Tao thought as he picked up a discarded torch and lit it on one of the sconces on the wall.

He walked slowly to the stairs and made his way towards the temple at their summit, examining the pictographs that decorated the passage walls. Some of the animals he easily recognized, among them giant turtles and iguanas, while others he had been introduced to during his travels like jaguars, condors, and even the horses of the Europeans. But others were completely new to him. There were wild cats with stripes, bears with black and white markings, large dogs with long fur, and giant sea creatures.

As he continued up the flight of steps, Tao was surprised when he could not see light from the passage's opening. "_It couldn't be night already could it?"_ he thought to himself, feeling slightly sick all of a sudden. But Tao's heart jumped into his throat when the light of the torch bounced off the stone at the tunnel's end. In cold horror, he stared at the slab of stone that blocked his escape. The passage was sealed!

Tao ran foreword in a panic and pounded his fist against the hard stone that blocked his only was out. "Esteban! Esteban, this isn't funny! Let me out! Esteban! Zia!" Tao yelled until his voice was horse yet there was no response.

The boy sat down on a step and tried to think logically. He wanted to believe this was only one of Esteban's jokes and that his friends would return at any moment, but the more he thought about the situation, the more certain he became that something was wrong. Even Esteban wouldn't play such a cruel joke. If he were going to escape from the temple, he was going to have to rely upon himself.

Tao sat in silence in the light of his torch, trying to come up with a solution. He had examined the walls of the passage and could find no way of opening the passage up again. As the young Hevan stared at the images on the walls of the corridor, he noticed an image of the sun on the passage opening. Tao ran his fingers across the icon, thinking that he had seen the same hieroglyph in the chamber below.

Hoping against hope that this symbol meant what he thought it did, Tao raced back down the stone steps into the great chamber. On the wall that faced to the north, Tao examined a sun hieroglyph that was almost identical to the image on the secret passage entrance. And next to the sun was the Winged Serpent. Silently praying, Tao worked his fingers around the eye of the serpent, lifting it slightly. The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the chamber and a section of the wall swung open revealing a black opening.

Even as Tao breathed a sigh of relief, he looked into this new tunnel with apprehension. Where would it take him?

Tao walked carefully through the dark passageway, his small torch barely lighting the way. It had seemed like an eternity had passed since he had left the great chamber. It must have been hours ago that he began his attempts to explore the passage carefully, but in the penetrating darkness Tao couldn't help but feel hopelessly lost. There were numerous routes branched in many various directions and there was no guide to aide him in finding his way. These channels were not made of cut stone like those of the temple, but rather were rough rock that appeared to have been created by natural forces.

Time passed and Tao felt like he had spent days in the dark tunnels. The boy began to despair, thinking he would never find his way out. As he paused to rest and calm himself, he sat in the light thrown by his torch. In the quiet he heard the sound of running water coming from somewhere within the maze of passages.

With renewed hope, Tao listened carefully to the welcome sound, trying to determine where it was coming from. After a few moments, he set out in a new direction, stopping periodically to listen. The sound grew steadily louder and Tao hurried on, searching for the water that created it. At last, he rounded a corner and saw a small stream of water running a three-way junction of passages. He continued on, following the stream upwards towards its source. But Tao's joy was short lived. His face fell as he saw that the stream ended, along with his hopes of escape, in an underground spring in a large cave where several tunnels converged. Tao sighed in frustration. There was no way out here.

Tao sat down heavily and wedged his torch into a crack in the rock floor. The boy leaned forward and scooped some water up in his cupped hands, drinking the icy water. His thirst quenched, Tao reached back to pick up his torch, but his hand accidentally bumped the handle. The torch rolled directly into the spring and went out with a sizzle. The pitch-blackness of the cave was overwhelming and Tao cried in frustration and fear. But when Tao opened his eyes he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. There in the pitch-blackness he saw an astonishing glimmer of hope. A faint glow was emanating from one of the caves across the spring.

Quickly, Tao stumbled to his feet and made his way across the freezing water to the opening and entered without a moment's hesitation. There was a slight draft in the passage and its floor sloped sharply upward which gave the boy fresh hope. He continued through the corridor as quickly as he could, ignoring the heaviness of his legs.

With no end in sight, the boy climbed until the tunnel came to an abrupt halt. Yet, Tao felt a surge of joy when he saw the emblem of the sun. Running his fingers image, Tao located a small button and pressed it in. A large stone above the boy's head slid open yet the passages only light was glowing moss on the walls.

Tao scrambled through the opening into a large temple. He nearly collapsed with relief. Though he was near exhaustion, Tao stumbled to the dark doorway of the temple. Stepping out, Tao could see the welcome lights of the moon and stars, and felt the cool, fresh night air. To his amazement, Tao discovered that the passage had brought him to the summit of the temple and he looked out over the ruined city.

Gazing down the main avenue of the city, Tao gasped in disbelief. There, next to the Golden Condor, he could see the glow of a campfire. _Could it be Zia and Esteban?_ Tao clenched his fists and tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. It had been a joke after all. Yet a moment later, the Hevan boy felt a flood of relief. His friends were safe and, in spite of his ordeal in the Temple of the Winged Serpent, Tao only wanted to see them again.

As quickly as he could, Tao climbed down the long stairs of the monstrous Temple of the Sun and made his way done the wide avenue that would lead to the Golden Condor. But as he drew closer to the condor, Tao began to sense something was wrong. What had seemed to be a small campfire from the summit of the pyramid was in reality a very large bonfire. Caution overtook Tao's sense of elation as he realized Esteban and Zia would never be able to build such a large fire. Tao decided it could be wise to cling to the shadows until he knew with whom he was dealing.

As he approached the Condor, Tao saw light reflecting off of something shinning that was next to the fire. Tao's breath caught in his throat. _Spanish soldiers! How did they get here! _Three armored soldiers were relaxing in the warmth of the flames. The boy crept closer to the fire, trying to hear the soldier's conversation.

"…gotten here?" one of the men was saying. "It wasn't here when we passed through the city after La Noche Triste."

"Who cares how it got here," one of the other soldiers snorted. "All I want to know is if we get a share of the gold?"

The third soldier laughed, agreeing with his assessment of the situation.

"But what about those children we found?" the first soldier. Tao heart leapt into his throat. "The boy looked like he was Spanish... "

"He probably just ran away from the city, Alberto…"

"But that girl that was with him was definitely not an Aztec or Mayan." Alberto said persistently. "I don't think they came from the capital, Julio."

"Then how do you think they get here?" Julio laughed mockingly. "Do you think they flew?"

"I don't know," Alberto replied seriously.

As the soldiers droned on, Tao decided he had heard enough. The boy crept carefully to the tail of the Condor, climbed up the back of the golden bird, and quietly dropped into the cockpit. He nearly jumped out of his skin when an inhuman shriek sounded right behind him, but it was only a moment later that he recognized the sound.

"Kokapedl!" Tao exclaimed in an excited whisper as he hugged his pet to him. But just as quickly as this joy came, Tao found himself clinging to the shadows again as the soldiers jumped to attention at Kokapedl's outburst. "Go Kokapedl, quickly!" Tao whispered desperately. Knowing he had to make his appearance known to the men below the clever bird swiftly flew out of the shelter of the Condor and over the soldier's heads. The Spaniards laughed upon seeing the parrot and settled back into their places around the fire.

Tao breathed a sigh of relief when a few moments later Kokapedl flew back to his location in the Condor. The turquoise parrot avoided his outstretched hands and flew behind the front seats of the cockpit. A moment later he was back carrying a golden object in his claws. Tao recognized it as the bird dropped it in his hands. The sun disk for the Condor. "That's fabulous, Kokapedl! You're a genius!" the boy whispered as his pet preened.

As the sun began to light the sky in the east, Tao debated with himself as to what he should do. On his own, he knew he had little hope of helping his friends, but whom could he turn to for help? He could think of only one person whom Tao could convince to save Esteban and Zia. Mendoza. But would he be able to find him? There was only one way to find out. As the first rays of the rising sun struck the Golden Condor and Tao placed the sun disk in its proper place. The Condor's wings flattened, preparing to fly.

The Spanish soldiers scrambled out of the way in terror as the Golden bird lifted off, but they could do nothing to stop it. Tao sat stiffly at the controls, hoping desperately that he could fly the Condor. It was one thing to give Esteban advice on how to do so, but it was quite another to do it himself. He could only hope that he would be able to find the Village of the New Sun and, even more important, that he would be able to land the Condor safely. Tao knew he must somehow accomplish these feats if he was to save his friends.

_**Next Time: The Ancient Legacy Chapter 5 - Old Allies, Old Enemies. Tao is returning to the Village of the New Sun in search of aid, but Mendoza, Pedro, and Sancho have been having troubles of their own.**_


	6. Old Allies, Old Enemies

Old Allies, Old Enemies

Mendoza stood on the hill where days before he had watched the Olmecs preparing to attack the Village of the New Sun. Now, as the sun rose on another day, the village was already bustling with activity as the Mayans worked to repair their homes.

The Spanish navigator had delayed departing from the village to give himself, Pedro and Sancho time to rest and gather supplies for their long journey back to Spain. Wynacocha, in spite of their past differences, was very grateful for the three Spaniards' assistance when they had fought the Olmecs and was providing them with everything they needed.

As he stood in the warm morning sun, Mendoza considered his options. From his calculations, the navigator knew where they could find the main Spanish cities of the region, Mexico City and Vera Cruz, but he had no desire to visit either of them. It had been ten years since he had last seen them yet he knew it was unlikely that he would receive a warm welcome in either place. The best chance the three sailors had was to set out for the sea and search for new settlements along the coast where they could find a ship bound for Spain. From his conversations with Wynacocha, Mendoza knew that the river that flowed from the Mountain of the Burning Shield eventually reached the ocean so it would be a simple matter to follow it to the coast.

His course of action determined, Mendoza turned and walked back toward the Mayan village. As he drew closer he heard the sound of running feet and looked up to see Sancho and Pedro hurrying towards him, each tripping over the others feet which ended with Sancho falling to the ground in front of their employer.

"O-o-o-oh, Mendoza," Sancho stuttered, "where were you? W-w-we've been looking for you everywhere!"

"What is so urgent?" Mendoza asked.

"In the village," Pedro gasped, "Gomez and Gaspar..."

"What!" Mendoza could hardly believe what he had heard. "How did they get here?" He immediately rushed back the way Pedro and Sancho had come back into the village.

"Wait Mendoza," Pedro called after him, "there's more!" But the navigator was already out of earshot. "Well, I guess he'll find out soon enough," Pedro sighed as he pulled Sancho to his feet and they set out again.

As Mendoza entered the village center, he could see people gathered around the house where Papacamayo had once lived in. The Spaniard pushed threw them to the door of the hut where he met Wynacocha, who was just exiting.

"Mendoza," the young Maya nodded in greeting.

"Pedro and Sancho said that Gomez and Gaspar were here in the village."

"If you mean the two Spaniards, they are in there," Wynacocha said gesturing to the house, "along with their companion."

Mendoza looked surprised. "Their companion?" The navigator pushed past the young chief and entered the dwelling.

Gomez and Gaspar were standing in the corner, their swords nowhere to be seen and two Mayan soldiers watching them.

"Ah, Mendoza," Gaspar said gruffly and stepping forward only to be forced back by the weapons of the Mayas and the arm of his commander.

"Gaspar," Gomez said warningly, nodding towards the opposite end of the house.

Mendoza turned to see Myena and an older Mayan woman standing next to a narrow bed. The navigator moved to stand next to the young Mayan girl and gasped in surprise when he saw who was lying on the cot. "Marinche!"

Mendoza and Wynacocha stood a little way from the entrance to the hut, facing Gaspar and Gomez. The village healer and insisted that everyone but Myena leave so she could treat Marinche's injuries. His eyes never leaving the pair opposite him, Mendoza quietly questioned the chief about the prisoners.

"They entered the village about an hour ago, saying they needed help for the woman," Wynacocha explained. "I didn't see any reason to send them away."

Mendoza nodded and then cautioned, "Be careful with these men," he gestured toward the other Spaniards. "They are not trustworthy."

"Not to worry," one of the village women put in. "We know how to put them in their place," she said looking meaningfully at the two prisoners, tapping a large club against her palm. Mendoza swallowed a smile when he saw Gomez and Gaspar wince and take a step away from the woman. Having learned all he could from Wynacocha, he proceeded to question his fellow Spaniards.

"Mendoza," Gomez said coolly as he approached, "would you inform these people that we mean them no harm."

"I'm afraid, Gomez," Mendoza replied, amused, "that they, or rather, the women of this village already know you too well to believe that."

"We didn't harm anyone," Gaspar grumped, "we were just trying to talk to the brats."

"Speaking of them," Gomez put in quickly, "where is the Golden Condor?"

Mendoza regarded him carefully. "Esteban, Zia and Tao left three days ago if that is any of your business." Gomez and Gaspar looked at each other in surprise. "But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about," Mendoza continued. "How did you survive the destruction of the City of Gold? Pedro and Sancho said that you were still collecting gold when everyone else abandoned it."

"It was a near thing," Gomez admitted, paling slightly. "The lake was draining away and the city melting as we struggled to get onto the bank."

"We lost everything," Gaspar said angrily, but then he paused a moment and admitted with a smile, "Well, not quite everything."

"Gaspar!" Gomez shot his companion a sharp look.

"Oh sorry, Commander. I forgot..."

"Just shut up!"

Mendoza pretended this exchange didn't interest him and asked his next question. "Where did you find Marinche?"

Gomez glared at Gaspar a moment longer before answering. "I assume you are talking about the woman. We found her in the forest not far from the Olmec base. She was injured and couldn't speak very much. We couldn't just leave her there to die so we brought her to this village."

Mendoza suspected that Gomez knew he and Gaspar wouldn't have received a warm welcome if they had come by themselves, but kept the thought to himself. Instead he asked, "Didn't she have any companions?"

"No," Gomez replied, "there was no one with her."

Hours later, the healer emerged from the hut and motioned for Wynacocha to join her. Mendoza, Gomez and Gaspar also walked over to hear what she had to say.

"...serious but I do not believe it to be fatal," the woman was saying. "A few days of rest should bring about a great improvement."

"Can I speak with her?" Mendoza asked.

The healer looked at him appraisingly before answering, "Not now, but perhaps later."

Mendoza nodded his acceptance just as two of the village's warriors came running up to Wynacocha.

"What is it?" the chief asked in concern.

"The Golden Condor..." one of them managed to gasp.

"What was that?" Mendoza asked in a shocked voice yet before he could say more the Condor soared over the village.

The golden bird banked quickly and came back on a course that would allow it to land in the village center. The Condor touched down and skidded across the ground, slowing...but not quickly enough.

"It's going to crash into us!" Gaspar yelled, as he and Gomez ran for their lives. The rest of the people in the square quickly followed their example.

The Condor ground to a halt in the empty plaza. Mendoza and Wynacocha immediately ran forward as the dome slid open. To their amazement, it wasn't Esteban who stood up from the command chair. It was Tao. As the boy half slid, half fell down the condor's nose to meet him, Mendoza thought he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Didn't think it would stop in time," Tao gasped as he dropped to the ground.

"Tao, where are Esteban and Zia? What has happened?" Mendoza asked as he helped the boy to his feet.

"Captured!" Tao said, his voice becoming stronger, his face more determined. "I...we need your help." Everyone listed intently as Tao explained how he, Esteban, and Zia had discovered the ruined city, the Temple of the Winged Serpent, the great chamber, and ended his tale with the words of the Spanish soldiers. "And as I flew the Condor here, I saw a large city on an island in the lake."

Mendoza's face was grim at these words. "It could only have been Mexico City," he said after a moment.

"You have been there?"

Mendoza nodded. "And I had hoped never to see it again."

"But if you want to help Esteban and Zia, you will have to face Cortés again," a woman's voice said weakly.

Tao jumped in surprise. "Marinche!"

The Aztec woman had appeared at the edge of the crowd being supported by Gomez, Gaspar with Myena just behind them. The young Maya girl shrugged as Wynacocha looked at her in surprise as if to say 'I couldn't stop her.'

Marinche ignored Tao and the others, looking steadily at her old nemesis Mendoza. "And you will need our help," she informed him.

Mendoza regarded the trio suspiciously while Tao gave a snort of laughter. "Why would we need you?"

Marinche smiled, looking like her old self. "Gomez, why don't you show them what you found."

Gomez looked hesitant for a moment and then pulled something small from the pocket of his coat. He held up two small, golden disks.

Tao gasped in horror. "The medallions!"

"Yes," Gomez confirmed.

"And if you want them returned, you will take us to Mexico City with you," Marinche stated.

Tao didn't know how to reply and looked to Mendoza for guidance. Mendoza stared steadily at his adversaries, considering his options. Finally he said, "I can't trust any of you yet it seems I have no choice. Be ready to leave at dawn." With that, the navigator turned and walked away, leaving Tao, Pedro and Sancho staring after him.

**_Mendoza has been forced to make a pact with three of their most persistent foes, but how long can this alliance last? And what of Esteban and Zia? Many things have changed for them in the capital of New Spain. Next Time: Chapter 6 - Secrets and Wanderers._**


	7. Secrets and Wanderers

Secrets and Wanderers

Captain Diaz walked through the door of the tavern and immediately moved toward the fireplace. The night air had a chill in it and rain would fall before long. But because of this change in the weather, all the tables in the ring of warmth cast by the fire were already taken. Although he was tempted to merely order some group of civilians to move, Diaz instead walked to the bar, ordered a large mug of beer and sat as close to the fire as he possibly could.

As he waited for his drink, the door of the tavern opened again with a bang and someone called to him, "Diaz!" He turned to see his second in command, Lieutenant Fernández, and another soldier, Reyes, walking towards him. The other two soldiers also ordered beer and then sat on either side of the Captain.

"You spoke with the Viceroy for a long time," Fernández stated.

"What did he think of the golden bird and the two mysterious children with the crescent medallions?" Reyes asked. Conversations hushed a bit at these words and Diaz looked at them sternly.

"First of all," Diaz replied, dropping his voice to a low growl, "we are not to speak of the bird to anyone. Is that understood!" His companions looked disappointed, but nodded their compliance.

"What about the children?" Fernández prompted.

Diaz sighed. "Those two are as stubborn as mules. They would say nothing of where they came from or what they knew of this matter. Even Cortez could get no information from them."

Fernández looked surprised. "The Marquis was there?"

Diaz laughed slightly. "Yes. As usual he is battling the Viceroy however he can, trying to regain the power he has lost. He seemed very interested in the two children. He insisted that they be put into his custody as his wife would be better able to care for them or so he says. The man is plotting something. He is as wily as a serpent."

The bartender finally brought the trio their drinks and Diaz looked longingly toward the table closest to the fire, wanting to move and warm himself. To his surprise, the table was now vacant. Its occupants hadn't even finished their wine. With a silent word of thanks to the two fools who had given up such a comfortable perch only to face the cold, rainy night, Diaz and his companions moved to take their place.

Esteban and Zia examined the room where they were being held, hoping to find some way to escape. They soon learned that it would not be easy. The room, thought comfortable, had no windows and the door was locked and guarded.

"Things just keep going from bad to worse," Esteban said irritably.

Zia sighed and sank into a chair. "Cortés is just like Pizarro. His hunger for gold is insatiable."

Esteban walked over to sit down next to her, but jumped up again at the sound of a knock on the door. A moment later a beautiful woman entered followed by a young native girl who was carrying a tray laden with food.

"Good evening," woman said, smiling pleasantly at Esteban and Zia. "You must be hungry after such a long day." She motioned for the girl to set down the tray. When the food had been laid out, the woman sat down at the table and said, "Please join me."

Esteban looked at Zia hesitantly. She shrugged slightly and they both walked to the table and sat down.

As the children began eating, the woman introduced herself. "I am Juana Zúñiga de Cortés. My husband says that you will be staying here with us for some time."

Esteban hastily swallowed the food in his mouth and protested, "He can't keep us here!"

Doña Juana looked surprised and said, "But it isn't safe for two children to be alone. Where are your families?" Esteban fell silent at her words and Zia looked worried. Neither knew how to answer her. "Then that settles the matter," the lady stated. "You must stay here." Esteban and Zia spoke very little though the rest of the meal and finally Doña Juana stood and bide them goodnight leaving the girl to clear the table.

"Don't worry," she said as she worked. "Doña Juana will see to it that my father treats you well."

"Your father?" Esteban asked confused. "My father is the Marquis."

Zia and Esteban looked at the girl in surprise. "But you look like the native people of this city, an Aztec?" Zia said.

"My mother was an Aztec princess, a daughter of Moctezuma," the girl said proudly, but her face showed sadness. "She died when I was still a baby. My name is Maria."

"Why are you serving us?" Esteban asked.

"Well," Maria said slightly embarrassed, "I asked to bring you this meal. It is so lonely here. My brothers have been sent to Spain to study with my grandfather in Seville and my father won't let me play with other children."

"Oh, how sad," Zia murmured.

"Please tell me," Maria said eagerly, "what is it like in Mexico City. I rarely leave this house and know very little about how things are in the city. What do your families do?"

Zia and Esteban looked at each other, trying to decide how to respond, but before they could say anything, the reason for their hesitation entered the room. Cortés smiled warmly at his daughter. "It is time for you to be in bed, Maria," he said.

Maria looked at him sorrowfully. "But, Papa, I so rarely get to be with other children. Can't I just stay a little longer?" she pleaded.

"Don't worry," Cortés said, smiling at Esteban and Zia as he spoke. "They are going to be our guests for quite some time. Get some rest children. Tomorrow will be an important day."

Esteban and Zia looked on grimly as the Marquis usher his daughter from the room and they heard the lock click into place as he shut the door.

Esteban tossed and turned for hours before finally falling into a fitful sleep. His dreams were filled with images of the destruction of the City of Gold, the Olmecs and their flying machine, Tao and Zia, but mostly of the High Priest. Esteban tried to reach out to this man he had only known for a few short hours, to ask him a question that burned in his heart, but that his mind could not give form. The High Priest seemed to fade into the darkness. Esteban struggled to follow him, but all that came to him was a voice that said over and over, "Esteban, Esteban..."

Esteban woke with a start and would have yelled in surprise had a hand not have quickly covered his mouth. In the darkness of the room he could discern an even darker shape of a figure standing over him, the person's eyes gleaming in the gloom. He struggled to break free, but the figure held him tight and leaned close to him, whispering earnestly, "Be still, Esteban. I'm not going to harm you!"

Esteban stopped fighting and stared at the figure. How did this person know who he was? He didn't recognize the voice, but could tell that it was a woman. "Will you be quiet if I take my hand away?"

Esteban nodded and he felt the pressure leave his face. He sat up and tried to see through the shadows. "Who are you?" he asked.

"A friend," the figure said, straightening up. "I promise, I will explain everything but right now I need you to trust me. We have to leave quickly."

"Esteban?"

He turned in the direction of this new voice and said, "Its okay, Zia. I think she is going to help us." Zia hesitated a moment, but got out of bed.

"Please, we must hurry," the woman said earnestly. "It's only a few hours until dawn and your absence could be discovered before then. We must to find a place to hide in the city or cross the bridges before sunrise if we are to escape." As she spoke, the two children jumped up and Esteban fastened his dagger onto his belt. "Now follow me as quickly and quietly as you can."

The woman moved to the door, cautiously opened it, and whispered to someone outside. The children followed her out and saw her companion whose shadowy outline in the black corridor seemed to be that of a slim man. The children watched as he clicked the lock back into place and then motion for them to follow him. Esteban and Zia did as they were bid and the two strangers lead them through Cortés's mansion to a window that faced an open courtyard.

The woman's companion carefully opened the window and agilely jumped to the ground without a sound. The mysterious woman motioned for the children to join her and carefully lowered each of them to her companion. After setting Zia down, the man turned back to the window as the woman quickly exited, though she paused for a moment, standing on her partner's shoulders, and carefully pulled the window closed. She jumped lithely to the ground and whispered to the children, "Guards patrol the city at night so we must take care. Follow us as quietly as you can and stay in the shadows of the buildings."

"Wait," Esteban said in an annoyed whisper, "who are you? How did you know about us and why are you helping us escape."

"We don't have time for questions now," she replied, glancing meaningfully at the silent house behind them. "I promise we will explain but it must wait until we are safely in hiding." Esteban didn't move and the woman sighed. "Very well, I am Andeanna and this is Hisoka and we are helping you because we have met before, but it was a long time ago. That is all I can say for now for the story of how we know you, Esteban, is lengthy and complicated. Now please, come with us."

Esteban looked at each of them and then nodded. With that, Hisoka plunged into the gathering mist and disappeared with Esteban and Zia following closely behind. Had they paused a moment longer, they would have seen a dark form leave the shadow of Cortez's home and track them into the maze of Mexico City.

The sun was beginning to light the eastern sky when Hisoka called for a halt. They had been moving very slowly and carefully for the last hour or so as the number of Spanish guard patrols increased.

Esteban didn't know what to make of the strange pair who was helping them. Both were dressed very strangely in loose pants, flowing cloaks, and shirts that wrapped around them and tied at their wastes. The woman, Andeanna, had said that they knew him yet Esteban couldn't remember them. She seemed to be of both European and Indian descent with her black, wavy hair, amber colored eyes, and bronzed skin. Hisoka was even more of a puzzle. Esteban had never seen anyone like him before and certainly didn't know where he came from. His skin was darker than a European's yet not like the Indians Esteban had met in his travels. His eyes were the color of mahogany and almond shaped. Esteban's curiosity about the pair only grew as the day began.

The strange group took shelter in an abandoned and crumbling house on the outskirts of the city. Seeing that the adults didn't intend to continue for sometime, Esteban protested. "We must keep going. Our friend Tao is trapped in a temple north-east of the city."

Andeanna looked up, surprised, "In Teotihuacan?"

"I think so," Esteban replied, "I didn't know its name."

Andeanna looked to Hisoka, as if asking his opinion. "I am sorry for your friend," he said to Esteban after some consideration, "But you will do him no good if you are captured again. The hunt will be up by now although I doubt Cortés will alert the city guards unless he has no other choice. He will not want the Viceroy to know that you have escaped. It would be an embarrassment that would further undermine his power. Also, I doubt that Viceroy Mendoza will allow Cortés to see you again if his soldiers find you first. However, Cortés employs a vast number of guards himself and they will certainly be searching for you. We must wait for the cover of darkness before we set out again, but I promise you, Esteban, we will do whatever we can to help your friend."

Esteban nodded glumly, unable to argue with the logic of the stranger's words. He then grinned sheepishly as his stomach growled very loudly. They all chucked and Andeanna said smiling, "It seems our young friends are in need of something to break their fast." She stood up and said, "I'll see what I can find."

"I'll go, Anda," Hisoka insisted as he stood, wrapped his cloak around him, and moved towards the opening in the wall through which they had entered. "I think it is time to remind young Esteban of who we are and you know that story better than I."

"Yes," Esteban agreed heartily. "How is it you know me when I don't know you?"

"'Don't remember' would be closer to reality, Esteban," Andeanna replied as she sat down again. "But I will explain as best I can." She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts and deciding where to begin. "Just over ten years ago I sailed with my father, the captain of a merchant vessel, to the port of Malacca on the Indian Ocean. The voyage had been difficult and we had lost several crewmen so we were in need of sailors for the return journey. We were surprised that one of the sailors that applied was a stranded European named Mendoza."

"Mendoza!" Esteban and Zia exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course," Andeanna confirmed. "And you were with him, Esteban. Mendoza needed a way to return to Europe and sought employment on my father's ship. My father gladly agreed and he proved a fine sailor and a good friend." She sighed and smiled at the memory. "He saved my life on more than one occasion in the five months it took to sail back around the Cape of Good Hope and on to Portugal. You were with him of course and I took care of you while Mendoza was busy with his duties," she said looking at Esteban's astonished face.

"When we reached Lisbon, Mendoza disembarked in order to continue his studies of navigation at Sagres and we continued on to Barcelona where my father sold the goods we had brought from India. I took you to a woman named Maria Zuñiga who had raised Mendoza after his father was lost at sea. Maria's family was ill so she brought you to Father Rodriguez who baptized you with the name Esteban. My father was anxious to begin another voyage and so we left you in the care of the priest. I'm surprised Mendoza never told you any of this," Andeanna finished.i

"But I only met Mendoza again a year ago in Barcelona and he never told me the whole tale of how I came to the cathedral."

Anda looked confused. "Only a year ago? How can that be?"

Zia shook her head. "Why would he come back? Mendoza doesn't help people unless there is something in it for him."

"Zia," Esteban protested, "that may have been true in the beginning, but things between us have changed."

"He decided to go back to Spain with his gold, didn't he," Zia pointed out and Esteban's face fell, his expression one of sadness.

Andeanna smiled at the boy and said, "I don't know what has happened to him in the last ten years, but the Mendoza I knew didn't only seek rewards. He was cautious and sometimes greedy, but he was never heartless. He had nothing to gain from saving your life all those years ago and went through many hardships to keep you safe. Of course, that was a long time ago and many things could have changed since then."

They all fell silent at that and did not speak again for sometime. Eventually, Zia asked a question. "How did you know that we were here and that we were being held by Cortés?"

"Hisoka and I arrived here in the Mexico City several weeks ago from Europe on business of our own. We frequented the pubs in order to learn the lay of the land and gather information. Last night we overheard three soldiers discussing the capture of a boy who wore a medallion shaped like the crescent moon." Andeanna shrugged and continued, "We immediately thought of you and decided to try and find out if this mysterious youth was the same boy I left in Father Rodriguez's care so many years ago. From the talk amongst Cortés's servants, we had a good idea where you were being held and broke into the hacienda. When I saw your medallion, I knew it had to be you, Esteban. And now the rest you know."

"What business do you have here?" Zia asked with some suspicion in her voice.

Andeanna gave the Inca girl a slight smile. "I think you have already guessed part of it. We were seeking our old companions, Esteban and Mendoza. The reasons for this are rather complicated and will have to wait for another time. Speaking of Mendoza, where is he? You said that you were traveling with him and yet you only met him again a year ago. What has brought you here?"

"Perhaps we have some secrets we wish to keep as well," Zia shot back.

Andeanna chuckled. "I suppose that is only fair. May I at least know where Mendoza is?"

"Far away," Esteban replied. "We parted ways southeast of here and have crossed a vast distance since then."

"You have traveled so far on your own?" Andeanna exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes," Esteban responded simply, unwilling to reveal any information about their great Golden Condor that could fly.

"You are both very mysterious," Andeanna said quietly. Then the puzzlement abruptly left her face and she yawned and stretched. "Well, I think that is enough answers for now. I think you should get some rest. Tonight's journey will not be easy."

"And you?" Zia asked.

"I will stand watch."

Looking slightly displeased with this response, Zia followed Esteban into the darkest corner of the small hut where they both laid down and tried to still rest. Esteban and Zia were sleeping lightly when someone entered. Esteban sleepily opened his eyes to see Hisoka reentering their crude dwelling and was about to go back to sleep when the sight of another person jolted him awake.

"Maria! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed in surprise. Zia was started awake at Esteban's outburst and they stared at the young girl opposite them.

"I found her wandering around the abandoned section of the city," Hisoka explained as he passed Esteban, Zia, and Andeanna each a long yellow fruit, some dried meat, and a part of a loaf of bread. "I suppose you are hungry too," he said to their unexpected guest.

Maria nodded sheepishly as her stomach rumbled. He passed her some of the fare and motioned for her to sit next to the other children. As they ate, Andeanna passed a water skin around to each of them.

"I think it is time for you to tell us what you are doing here," Hisoka said gently as they finished their small meal.

Maria blushed and said, "Something woke me up during the night. I looked out my window and I saw Esteban and Zia running away. I followed, but I couldn't keep up with you. I got lost," Maria said guiltily looking at the other children.

"That was unwise to follow us, Maria," Andeanna said. "It isn't safe to wander the streets of Mexico City at night. I take it that you are part of Cortés's household. Why didn't you ask one the guard patrols to take you back to his hacienda?"

"I didn't want my father to know..." her voice trailed off to a whisper.

"Your father?"

"Her father is Hernan Cortés," Zia said.

Andeanna's face became very grave. "This is not good," she said. "Cortés will be looking for all three of the children. If we do not take Maria back and we are caught later, he will accuse us of kidnapping them. If we do take her home, we will be suspect in helping the other children escape."

"But my father would never..." Marina began but she trailed off into silence.

"We have no choice," Hisoka finally said. "The consequences would be far graver if we are captured with Señorita Maria still with us. She must return to her father's house."

"Very well," Andeanna nodded. "I will take her home as I will arouse less suspicion." She turned to the girl and insisted, "But we must ask you, Maria, not to reveal our hiding place or my involvement with Esteban and Zia's disappearance." Although worry flashed across her face, Maria agreed to these terms.

"We will wait for you..." Hisoka began, but Andeanna quickly interrupted him.

"No! You know that would not be wise. Cortés will be suspicious and I will be followed if I am allowed to leave. If I am detained, waiting could only put you in danger. At twilight, set out as we had planned and help the children's friend. I will meet you there when I can." Hisoka nodded gravely.

Zia and Esteban watched the mysterious woman and the conquistador's daughter slip carefully from the crumbling building and disappear into the sunlight.

Andeanna set a brisk but casual pace through the streets of Mexico City with the young woman making so many twists and turns that Maria quickly became disorientated. What the girl didn't know was that the woman was deliberately taking a long way back into the heart of the city in order the approach Cortés's mansion from a different direction. Eventually, they entered the more habitable regions of the city. Not long there after, a company of Spanish guards stopped Andeanna and Maria.

"Halt there, woman," their captain said gruffly to Andeanna then in a far more civil tone continued, "Señorita Maria, your father has been very concerned about you. We will escort you back to his hacienda." The captain again looked to Andeanna. "You will accompany us as well."

"As you wish, Señor," she replied demurely as one of the soldiers roughly grabbed her upper arm.

They were led to the Marquis's residence in short order and taken inside where they were met by Lady Cortés.

"Maria, where have you been?" she exclaimed. "Your father was beside himself with worry when it was discovered you were missing. And do you know what has become of those the two children, Esteban and Zia?"

"I'm sorry, Doña Juana. I saw them leave early this morning and followed them into the city."

"Why didn't you alert the guards?"

Maria didn't answer, but lowered her gaze guiltily to the floor.

"I see," Doña Juana said in an exasperated tone, although she patted the girl's head comfortingly. "You thought to have an adventure in the City, without thinking of the consequences of your actions. Come with me, Maria. Your father will wish to know that you at least have been found."

The captain of the household guards cleared his throat seeing that the lady was about to leave. "Pardon me, Señora, but what should I do with this woman we found with Señorita Maria?"

"Oh, bring her along, Captain. I'm sure my husband will wish to question her as well."

Reluctantly Andeanna allowed herself to be led to Cortés's office where the lady paused to knock on the door. The sound of voices coming from the room hushed a moment then someone brusquely said, "Come in!"

Doña Juana and Maria entered followed by the captain who pulled Andeanna in with him. A heartbeat later, Anda stopped in complete surprise. "Mendoza!" she whispered under her breath.

i Read _Mendoza's Story Part I_ from chapter 17 to the end for the complete story of this meeting.


	8. Hernán Cortés

Hernán Cortez

Tao tried to keep his eyes on the horizon and pilot the Golden Condor to the west on a course that would lead them to Mexico City, but this was certainly the most unusual flight he could remember since they had found the flying machine. To his left sat Mendoza, who was doing his best to ignore the noise coming from the back seats of the Condor.

Had things been different, the whole situation would have been comical. Sancho, Pedro, Gomez and Gaspar were engaged in a fight as to how they would fit into the seat, which certainly wasn't meant for four large (except for Pedro) men. Gomez's suggestion of Pedro or Sancho sitting on the floor hadn't been met with enthusiasm and Gaspar's proposal of Pedro sitting on Sancho's lap might have led to outright violence if the pair hadn't been such cowards. Tao had tartly stated that Gomez and Gaspar could sit on the outside of the Condor again if they liked, and the situation had gone down hill since then.

Finally, Mendoza turned around and ordered, "Enough! Or someone, and I don't care who, is going to be walking to Mexico City!"

There was a sudden silence, then a thud that was accompanied by Pedro yelling, "Ouch!" This was followed by Sancho muttering, "Th-th-that wasn't v-v-v-very nice."

Tao swallowed a smile as he imagined the scene behind him. From the thump on the back of his chair that had accompanied Pedro's protest, Tao came to the conclusion that Gaspar had decided to implement the former Commander's suggestion and forced Pedro to sit on the floor.

A sigh from the seat to Tao's right caused all his amusement to disappear. The boy cast a nervous glance at Marinche who, despite her drawn and exhausted appearance, he considered to be the most dangerous person in the Golden Condor. He couldn't help but remember Mendoza's words before they had taken off at sunrise. "Be wary of Marinche, even more so than of Gomez and Gaspar, for she is conniving and devious. She helped Cortés bring down a powerful empire and she is as greedy as the worst Spaniard."

"You expect her to betray us, Mendoza?" Tao had asked.

"I am certain of it," Mendoza had replied gravely, "and so we must prepare for that eventuality."

The plan the navigator had proposed then was hardly to Tao's liking, but he couldn't think of anything better. Unwilling to dwell on the uncertainties that plagued his mind, the descendant of Hiva decided to again concentrate his attention on flying the Golden Condor on the course that would lead them to Mexico City.

Mendoza stepped away from the Condor and turned back to watch as Gomez and Gaspar helped Marinche descend from the craft. It was almost an hour after midday and the Golden Condor had landed in an open, deserted space several miles from the bridges that led to the island city.

In the distance they could see the gleam of light reflecting off the surface of Lake Texcoco and could just make out the city at its heart. From here, it seemed little had changed from the time he had first seen Mexico City some eight years before, though he hastily drove the memories it invoked from his mind.

Mendoza stiffened as a voice beside him said, "In spite of all that has been done to it," Marinche said, "the city is still beautiful."

Refusing to look at her, Mendoza added, "There is a will to survive here that even you could not destroy."

"Oh come now Mendoza," Marinche admonished. "We each play the part we are given and one man's villain is another's hero. And one thing that I have learned from my dealings with your people is that gold can buy forgiveness for any sin."

Mendoza looked at her in disgust and was about to continue the argument when Gomez and Gaspar joined them. "Are you two going to cast barbs at each other all day, or are we going to find the two brats?" Gomez asked with some amusement.

"We're leaving now," Mendoza replied as he turned to the Condor and waved. His companions turned around just in time to see the glass dome slide closed over Tao, Pedro, and Sancho.

As the great bird began to lift off the ground, Gaspar yelled, "Wait! Stop!" He would have run back in a vain attempt to prevent the Golden Condor from taking off, but Gomez restrained his partner.

"It is no use, Gaspar. They are gone." The former commander looked at the navigator with a wry half smile. "Still don't trust us, do you?"

"Of course I don't, and neither would you if our positions were reversed," Mendoza replied, with more levity than he felt. "I have to have some leverage. Let's be off or it will be dark before we reach the city." The navigator walked away in the direction he knew they would find a causeway that spanned the distance to the city on the lake, all the while trying to ignore the angry stares focused on his back.

_Perhaps I should have brought Pedro and Sancho_, he thought. _I'm surrounded by enemies and walking strait into the lion's den. However, they would likely prove more of a hindrance than a help in this situation, even if it were only Gomez and Gaspar he had to worry about._ But there was Marinche to be dealt with, as well. Even in her weakened condition, she was far more dangerous than the two former soldiers. And there was one other who kept coming unbidden into his thoughts. Cortés. _The last thing I need_, the navigator thought as his mood darkened,_ is to meet him again._ Yet he knew that he would be very lucky indeed if his path did not once again cross that of the famous conquistador. He could only hope for the best and plan to keep one step ahead of his old adversary.

They traveled to the city slowly, as Marinche couldn't walk far without having to rest. Mendoza would have gladly left her behind, along with Gaspar and Gomez, but he needed the center pieces of the two medallions. Could they already be close to another city of gold? Tao hadn't told him very much about what he, Esteban, and Zia had discovered, but it was enough to pique his curiosity.

But first he had to find Zia and Esteban. The question was where would they be held? He needed information about the city government and, unfortunately, he didn't have many options about how to get it.

"What do you know about the city's organization," he asked Marinche when they stopped, yet again, to allow her to rest. "Where will Zia and Esteban be imprisoned?"

"I know little of such things," Marinche replied in a bitter tone. "I have not followed the city's politics or institutions for some time. I left two years ago with Fernando."

"Whatever you know could be helpful to us," Gomez said encouragingly.

Marinche sighed and began, "I am sure that you already know that after Cortés's expedition to suppress insurrection of Olíd, he returned to find the capital in chaos. Those who were left in charge in his absence had instigated a reign of terror and eventually those individuals were forced to flee, but they managed to take with them much of the city's treasury." She gave Mendoza a harsh smile, and continued, "The expedition was a mistake and Cortés paid for it with the loss of control of the city's government. Emperor Charles eventually sent a viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza, to govern the Spanish colonies."

"However, I know Hernán well enough to know that he has not given up his ambitions and he is, without a doubt, the wealthiest man in New Spain. He employs many servants and has a personal guard who are completely loyal to him. Hernán once lived in the palace facing the central plaza of the city, but that is now the residence of the Viceroy. He likely has another residence in the city now and he owns several estates in the countryside."

"What manner of man is the Viceroy?" Mendoza said.

Marinche looked bored, but replied, "From what I have heard he is as honest as the day is long and fair to the people of the city, no matter whether they are Spanish or Aztec. That has instilled some resentment among the Spaniards in residence, but Viceroy Mendoza has the favor of the King and few can hope to challenge his authority."

The navigator nodded, and then announced, "The palace is a likely place to start searching for the children. Also, pay close attention to the news of servants and people in the taverns..."

"But first," Marinche interjected, "we must go to my home. My own servants will be able to do much of this work for us."

Mendoza frowned in thought. He didn't like the idea of being in Marinche's power as he had no doubt that she would turn on him at the least sign of advantage. However, her duplicity might actually aide him in recovering the medallions if he orchestrated events properly. "Very well, we will do as you suggest, Madame." He still had a few tricks of his own to play.

The unlikely group crossed the causeways that lead to the city with little trouble and made their way toward Marinche's home. The city was bustling with activity in the afternoon hours and Mendoza was amazed by the way Mexico City had changed. The city had been in the middle of a messy reconstruction and, while some areas still seemed to be in need of repair, most of the buildings had been rebuilt using a combination of Aztec and European architecture. The navigator's thoughts strayed, but were brought back into focus as he caught part of Marinche and Gomez's conversation.

"You must have considerable wealth of your own, my dear Marinche, to maintain a household in the city."

"Cortés was generous enough to give me a great deal of property," was the lady's not so modest reply.

"Indeed," Mendoza said in mock appreciation. He then asked nonchalantly, "Has your _husband_ been taking care of your estates while you were off with Dr. Leguerra?" He forced himself to suppress a wicked smile as he noted the surprise on Gomez's face and the anger on Marinche's.

"We have little to do with the other's business," Marinche snapped in reply.

She refused to speak to any of them after that and Mendoza noted with pleasure that Gomez didn't dote on her as before. _It will be a simple matter to turn them against each other_, Mendoza thought, _if they are put off so easily. However, their hatred of me might yet bind them together in a pinch._

Marinche led them to an elegant Spanish-style house and as she opened the door, there was a cry of surprise, there came the sound of breaking pottery from farther inside. Mendoza followed Gomez and Gaspar into the residence where Marinche was trying to calm a hysterical serving woman.

"We all thought you had died, Milady," the servant was babbling. "When you disappeared and did not return, the master said you must have perished because of some disease or other calamity."

"I'm sure that would have broken his heart," Marinche hissed. "Calm down, Josetta!" she ordered. "Where is Señor Jaramillo?"

"He is at the hacienda with your daughter, Madame."

"That is just as well," Marinche said under her breath. "What of Cortés? Is he here in the capital or on one of his estates?"

"He is here, Milady."

"Excellent!" The Aztec woman said, brightening at the news. "Prepare my litter. I must see him at once." The servant bowed and hurried away.

"Just a moment," Mendoza protested. "We are here to find Zia and Esteban, not to pay a call on Hernán Cortés!"

"I have to agree," Gomez agreed to everyone's surprise.

Marinche recovered quickly and waved away his protest with a confident smile. "Do not worry, Gentlemen. I am certain he will know where the children are and will be of assistance in procuring them."

Mendoza forced himself to swallow his objections. _This could still work to my advantage_, he concluded. The navigator returned her smile and bowed mockingly. "Very well, Madame. We will seek his knowledge on these matters." He looked to Gomez, who reluctantly agreed to this after a moment's hesitation. _Don't want to look weak, eh Gomez?_

Marinche's smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She obviously hadn't expected him to give in so easily and was feverishly trying to fathom his reasoning. _What are you planning, Mendoza_? She didn't have to give voice to the question for him to know that was what she was thinking.

The servant woman reappeared at that moment and informed them the litter was waiting outside.

"Then let us be on our way," Gomez insisted as he stepped in between Mendoza and Marinche, who had been staring daggers at each other. He shook his head as he moved to follow them outside. _There is more animosity between those two than there even is between Mendoza, Gaspar and I. What could possibly have caused such hatred?_ _I will likely never know, although it is amusing to watch_, he thought with a wry smile, as he walked out of the house. Gaspar quickly joined him, the whole situation apparently lost on him.

Mendoza, Gomez, and Gaspar walked just behind Marinche's servants as they carried her through the streets of Mexico City. She was obviously well known throughout the capital, as her presence provoked looks of awe, fear, and anger from the inhabitants.

The afternoon was quickly passing away and Mendoza knew that they would be fortunate indeed if they found the children before the following day. He fell into step beside Gomez, who looked at him with suspicion.

"What do you want?" Gomez demanded.

"I just wanted to have a word with you," Mendoza said evenly, keeping his voice low enough not to be discernable to Marinche.

"Why should we listen to you?" Gaspar put in angrily.

"You have betrayed my trust more times than I care to remember?" Gomez agreed, his voice surprisingly unemotional.

"So you would rather trust that woman," Mendoza snapped. "You are giving up all chance of profit, perhaps even survival, if you do so. The only things that have held her complete loyalty are Cortés and gold. And I wonder sometimes which she cares for more," he said harshly. "I know we have no reason to trust one another, but it is very important at this juncture that we understand the each others' intentions," Mendoza insisted.

Gomez considered his words for a moment and then directed, "Say your peace, Mendoza, but I will not promise to anything."

"Fair enough," Mendoza replied, knowing he was fortunate that Gomez even agreed to listen to him after their long history of mistrust. "There can be only one reason why Marinche wants to see Cortez now...she intends to tell him everything about the Golden Condor and what the children discovered in the ruined city." He paused a moment to look at the former Commander. "Imagine what he could do with such knowledge and a weapon like the Condor." A muscle in Gomez's jaw twitched, but he did not speak. Mendoza continued carefully, "It may prove to be more profitable for you to side with us."

"What profit?" Gomez laughed harshly.

Mendoza allowed himself a small smile then said, "You weren't the only ones that came away from the city of gold with a souvenir."

Gomez and Gaspar both looked stunned. "Do you mean that you have gold?" Gaspar said a bit too loudly. Marinche looked back at them quizzically, but when no one spoke again she turned away.

"Be quiet, Gaspar," Gomez said, clearly annoyed. The former captain looked a bit sheepish, but continued to listen intently to all that was said. Gomez looked back at the navigator and asked. "Is it true?"

Mendoza shrugged. "More or less. However, there may be greater treasures to be found in the temple the children discovered."

Gomez pondered his words before continuing, "That could be, but how do we know that you won't turn on us when the prize is at hand?"

Mendoza smiled outright and told them of his plan. "We would have to rely on one another in order for either to profit," he finished.

"I will have to think on this," Gomez said.

"Don't think too long," Mendoza insisted, irritated by the former soldier's reluctance, yet knowing that without his help there was little hope for this predicament to come out in his favor. "Once we are in Cortés's grasp this situation could quickly spiral out of control."

Shortly thereafter they arrived at the Marquis's residence. They were quickly led inside and were taken down a long hallway to a spacious study. Mendoza was not looking forward to the reunion ahead and, from the look on his face, neither was Gomez. Gaspar was openly curious about the famous conquistador, and shifted impatiently while the servant knocked and announced them. Of all present, only Marinche looked completely at ease.

They were quickly motioned inside and the servant departed, closing the door behind him. They stood and stared at the man who sat behind a large desk, returning their gaze coldly.

_The years have not been kind to you, Cortez_, Mendoza thought as he took in the conquistador's appearance. He looked old, his body and face were haggard as if by long suffering. His eyes, however, still contained fire and were as quick and piercing as they had been when the navigator had first met him all those long years before. _He is still one to be reckoned with_, Mendoza conceded as their gazes met in a cold stare.

Suddenly the conquistador smiled and spoke with feigned amusement, "Amazing that such ghosts of the past would choose this day to reappear. It can hardly be coincidence." He stood and came around the desk, extending his hand to take Marinche's. "My dear Marina, it has been too long. Your poor husband has been quite beside himself with grief since your disappearance."

"I'm sure he has," Marinche replied evenly, managing to keep most of the sarcasm out of her voice.

Cortés only smiled more warmly and moved on to stare at Gomez. To his credit, Gomez didn't flinch under the pressure of the icy gaze that came to rest on him. Mendoza had to admit that it took some steel to appear so calm before such cold hostility. "Well, well, Señor Gomez. It has been quite some time since I have laid eyes upon you, although I did hear something about your military service under Pizarro." The conquistador looked the former commander up and down before saying, "With the profit he has been generating for the crown, I would have thought his soldiers would be able to dress in less ragged attire."

Gomez swallowed hard before replying with barely suppressed anger, "Unfortunately, not everyone can profit as much as you apparently have done, _Marquis_ Cortés."

"Obviously," Cortés replied with satisfaction. Marinche looked very surprised by this exchange. She apparently didn't know about Gomez's prior experiences with Cortés, who by then had moved on to stare briefly at Gaspar. The captain almost sighed with relief when the Marquis didn't speak to him.

Cortés moved on to stand in front of Mendoza, his gaze changing to one of outright contempt as he examined the navigator. "So we meet again, Mendoza," Cortés said smoothly. "I must say that I am surprised by this encounter and the company you are keeping."

Mendoza only smiled and bowed to cover the vexation that he felt. "Circumstances rather than desire often dictate our actions. The trick is to make the best of what you are given, Señor."

"Just so," replied Cortez, holding the navigator's gaze a moment longer before turning to regard all of his guests. "Well, Señores, what can I do for you?"

"We are seeking information about two children, my lord," Marinche replied indifferently. "We have reason to believe they are here in the city."

A master of calm though he seemed, Cortés could not conceal his interest in this news, although he shrugged saying, "There are many children in this city, Madame. Of what importance are these two children that I would know of them?"

"Oh come now, Hernán," Marinche said, smiling confidently. "These two would certainly have been of interest to you as they were discovered in Teotihuacan along with a Golden Condor of enormous size."

The conquistador leaned forward, hunger gleaming in he dark eyes. "So it wasn't coincidence that brought you back to me on this day, my dear Marina. What do you know of these matters?"

Before she could reply, Mendoza interjected, "It would only be polite, Marquis, for you to answer one of our questions. Do you know where we can find the two children?"

His reply left everyone dumbfounded. "I have no idea where they are, Señor," he stated simply.

Mendoza recovered quickly and demanded, "Yet you know of them?"

"Of course," Cortés acknowledged, a smirk twisting his lips. "They were in my care until sometime last night when they kidnapped my daughter Maria and fled."

_This situation is rapidly deteriorating from dangerous to an outright disaster_, Mendoza thought as he considered what to say next. "Children kidnapping children, sir? It hardly seems logi..."

"No need to be concerned, Mendoza," the Marquis interrupted. "My guards will find the children in short order and they shall be dealt with as they deserve."

"Now, now, my lord," Marinche said calmly. "Do not be hasty in your judgments. These children, Esteban and Zia, are the key to a great treasure."

"Marinche," Gomez said warningly, but Cortés cut in suddenly very interested.

"What do you mean, my dear?"

"The Golden Condor, to begin with."

Cortés regarded her with suspicion while Gomez and Gaspar looked at her in outright shock. "That statue is already in the custody of the Viceroy."

"Not necessarily," she replied, looking very pleased with herself. "You see, my lord, it isn't a statue, but a flying machine!"

There was a moment of utter silence before the Marquis burst out laughing. Mendoza looked at Gomez and they joined in while Gaspar just stared at everyone as if they had gone mad. Marinche's smile didn't waver. "Don't be absurd. That is impossible!"

Before anything more could be said there was a knock at the door, which opened before Cortés could move to answer it. Into the room stepped a Spaniard in rich, though functional attire. His dark hair and beard were well kept and his dark, keen eyes missed nothing. Mendoza and his companions looked at this man in shock, amazed that anyone would simply walk into the Marquis presence without being invited or announced. Mendoza had a strong suspicion of who this man was, which was confirmed a moment later when Cortés spoke to his new guest.

"Ah, Viceroy Mendoza. This is an unexpected pleasure," he said warmly, although his eyes were angry.

"I have no time for pleasantries, Hernán," the Viceroy replied. "Where are Esteban and Zia? I must speak with them."

Cortés moved to stand behind his desk, throwing a warning look at his other guests as he did so. He looked back at the Viceroy and said, "I am sorry, my lord, but they are not here. My daughter Maria and a servant took them into the city."

The Viceroy looked at the conquistador in exasperation. "I don't have time for this, Señor Cortés. I must speak to them now."

Cortés seemed almost to be enjoying the moment, although he looked properly concerned. "I will send my guards to locate them, but it may be sometime before they are found."

"I must speak to you in private, Señor," Antonio de Mendoza said. Cortés nodded and showed the Viceroy out of the room, leaving his other guests alone to wonder what was going to happen.

Cortés eventually returned alone, seemingly in deep thought. He then laughed suddenly, startling them all. "What is it, my lord?" Marinche asked carefully.

He looked up at her and his face was absolutely jovial. "The Viceroy has just informed me that the Golden Condor disappeared from the ruined city the night after the children were found. The men who had remained behind to guard it swear that the statue simply flew away at sunrise. The bird was seen flying again this morning back toward the city. This is remarkable news, don't you think?" he said looking at each of them in turn. "The Viceroy is leaving immediately to go to Teotihuacan and inspect the scene for himself. I am to join him with the children in the morning at the edge of the city."

"That will be difficult to do if you do not have them, Señor," Mendoza commented.

"I have no doubt that my men will find them tonight," Cortés said confidently. "After all they are only children. How resourceful could they be?"

"You might be surprised, my lord," Marinche said flatly.

As if on cue, there was another knock on the door. Cortés looked about triumphantly and called brusquely, "Come in."

The door opened and a beautiful Spanish woman entered leading a young girl. Just behind them was the captain of Cortez's guard who pulled a strangely clad woman into the room with him.

"Maria!" Cortez exclaimed and moved to meet his daughter.

"The captain found her..." the woman began to explain, but she fell silent when she saw Marinche who smiled at her uncomfortable silence. Mendoza assumed from their reactions that this woman was Cortés's new wife.

The captain, apparently thinking this was his cue to speak, continued, "I found her with this woman not far from here, my lord Cortés." He pulled the woman beside him more clearly into view and Mendoza was surprised to see that her eyes were fixed on him. When he met her gaze she looked away, but he was certain there was recognition in her eyes. While he pondered this, the captain continued with his report, "They appeared to be coming here, Señor."

Cortés, his arm around his daughter, thanked the guard for his service and then said to his wife, "My dear Juana, would you please give the captain something for his trouble and have him wait outside. I may need him later, but now I must have a word with Maria." Doña Juana threw a venomous look at Marinche before following her husband's command. When they had gone, Cortés turned to regard his daughter. "Where are they, Maria?"

"I don't know father," she replied hesitantly, her voice shaking.

"It is alright Maria," he said soothingly. "I am certain this woman does." He turned an intimidating gaze on the stranger.

"My lord," she protested, "I don't know of whom you speak! The child was lost in the market place. I only brought her home."

Cortés's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It is unwise to lie to me," he said in a soft, yet threatening tone.

Marinche stepped forward and smiled calmly. "The answer to that question is now unnecessary, Hernán. Esteban and Zia may have escaped, but it is obvious they will go to Teotihuacan to rescue their friend, whom they believe is trapped in the city. We must find them before the Viceroy does or he will claim the prize."

"The Golden Condor."

Marinche's smile became a smirk, "And unless I am mistaken, an even greater treasure may be within our grasp. The Cities of Gold!"

Cortés didn't bother to hide his scorn. "You left with the Doctor two years ago to chase that fairytale."

"And my companions discovered its location."

"What!" Cortez looked dubiously at Mendoza and Gomez. "Is that true?"

Mendoza returned the conquistador's glare, not answering, while Gomez and Gaspar looked at each other hesitantly.

"We found the city of gold, but it was destroyed in a vast explosion," Gomez finally replied. "There is nothing left of it."

Cortés was not convinced. "How could an entire city vanish without a trace?"

"Yet this one did, my lord Cortés," Marinche said simply. "It hardly matters as there is more than one city," she said looking at the navigator. She practically purred, "Isn't there, Mendoza." He refused to answer her or acknowledge her in any way. _Although it hardly matters_, Mendoza thought. _The woman is clever, there is no doubt of that._

Marinche turned to look at Cortez and completed triumphantly, "And the clue to where those cities lie is in Teotihuacan, the City of the Gods!" Cortés's eyes glittered with cold and hungry greed. "We must reach the city before the Viceroy. If we take one of the brigantines on the lake shore, we can reach the prize long before the soldiers arrive."

Cortés nodded in agreement then turned to consider Mendoza, Gomez, Gaspar, and the mysterious woman. "And what should we do with these fine fellows?"

Marinche looked each of them over before speaking. "I owe Gomez some consideration for his aide. He should have a share."

Gomez was stone faced, while Gaspar grumbled, "And what about me? I helped too!"

Marinche dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "Yes, yes, you will as well Casper." Gaspar didn't know whether to be pleased or insulted.

"The woman is useless..." Cortés began, but Marinche broke in, "Except as a source of information about the children and whoever is helping them. I think it is now clear that they had help in their escape."

Cortés nodded and then looked to Mendoza. "And what of him?"

Marinche smiled. "Mendoza has a talent for escaping. It is as dangerous to leave him behind as it is to take him along."

"Then we shall have to dispose of him, my dear."

Marinche smiled as if she relished the thought, but Gomez suddenly spoke, "Not yet, Señor. Esteban is particularly attached to him. He could yet be useful as leverage against the boy."

Cortés looked at the former commander suspiciously, but Marinche agreed with his assessment. The Marquis acquiesced and then walked to the door. "Captain!" he called as he opened it. A moment later the guard reappeared along with two of his subordinates. "Send word to the docks that they are to ready my ship. And tell the groom to have my horses ready in an hour." He looked to the woman and Mendoza, and then said, "Have your men bind these two and guard them until all is ready."

"Yes, my lord!" the captain saluted then motioned for his men to take the two captives away.

As they were hauled from the room, Doña Juana returned and demanded, "Husband, what is happening?"

Cortés took hold of her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "My dear, I must leave for a few days on business."

"With her?" the lady asked dully, inclining her head toward Marinche.

Cortés smiled. "Do not worry about such things, my love. Now I need you to have the servants prepare provisions for our journey. A weeks worth of supplies and you must hurry." Doña Juana threw one last malicious look at Marinche before departing to do as her husband wished.

After she had gone, Cortés took Marinche's hand and led her from the room saying, "While we wait for all to be put in order, my dear, I must tell you of Martín's progress. Our son is doing very well in Spain..." His voice trailed away and the two former soldiers were left alone in the study.

Gaspar quickly broke the silence with an expected question. "What do we do now, Commander?"

Gomez weighed his options carefully before responding, "I hate to admit it, but Mendoza was right about that woman. Her only loyalty is to herself."

Gaspar looked confused. "So are we actually going to help Mendoza?"

"Oh course not," Gomez snapped. "We cannot trust him, but we can use him to our own ends."

Gaspar was completely lost. "Then what do we do, sir?"

"We wait," was Gomez's reply as he strode out the door to find Cortés and Marinche. Gaspar hesitated a moment, but followed his commander.

**The race to Teotihuacan has begun! Will Esteban and his companions discover the secrets of the Temple of the Winged Serpent before Cortez? Find out in chapter nine of The Ancient Legacy - Beyond the Great Doors.**

Mendoza looks for Zia and Esteban in Mexico City, but with him are three of his greatest adversaries. Can he keep them from turning on him before he discovered the whereabouts of the children?


	9. Converging Paths

Converging Paths

Mexico City was hardly any quieter at twilight than during the day, or so it seemed to Esteban as he and Zia followed Hisoka through the streets. The group had left their hiding place shortly after the sun had set, carefully moving through the outlying districts of the city.

"Where are we going?" Esteban asked.

Their strange guide didn't answer for a few moments as if he was lost in thought. "We need to get to the waterfront," he said eventually. "I suspect the bridges will be carefully guarded and so we need to find another way to leave the island." He was quiet again and Esteban expected the silence to continue, but Hisoka soon asked, "Can you both swim?"

Zia looked at Esteban who replied, "We both can, but Zia would have a hard time making such a long crossing to the shore."

Hisoka nodded, murmuring, "That is just as well."

"What do you mean?" Zia queried.

"I mean that I would prefer to keep swimming to the shore as a last resort."

"What about your friend?"

Hisoka glanced at them quickly, saying, "If Anda was able to return, she would have done so by now." There was a hint of worry on his face, but he continued, "She will find a way to join us, I have no doubt of that."

"You there, stop!"

Esteban wheeled about to see Spanish guards rapidly making their way through the crowded alley. "We need to move," he yelled, grabbing Zia's hand and pulling her along after him.

"This way," Hisoka barked.

The trio ran recklessly through the streets and the people of the city watched in astonishment that gave way to amusement or anger as the fugitives pushed through their midst, knocking over piles of foodstuffs and pottery.

Suddenly, a horseman appeared in front of them. Esteban and Zia stopped in their tracks as the guard galloped toward them. Hisoka, however, pushed forward and the children tensed with horror, expecting the stranger to be trampled by the beast. At the last moment, however, Hisoka grabbed the reigns and swung up into the saddle, flipping the guardsman into a pile of very ripe red vegetables.

"Sorry about that," Hisoka called to the street seller as he spurred the horse forward toward the children. He pulled Zia up in front of him while Esteban swung up behind. "Hold on," Hisoka yelled as he spurred the horse toward the remaining guards. They scrambled to get out of the way as Hisoka expertly guided the beast through their ranks.

One guard who managed to keep his wits about him and raised his rifle to fire at the runaways, but Hisoka was too fast for him. With a quick shout of, "Stay down!" the stranger threw himself to one side of the beast. Esteban and Zia pressed themselves close to the horse as the bullet cut through the air above their heads. Esteban marveled at Hisoka's skill on horseback as the man hung off one side of the creature, only holding on with one hand while he scooped up a dark green vegetable with the other. He straightened back into the saddle with a quick motion and threw the green projectile at their assailant.

The guard had just grabbed the rifle away from one of his fellows and raised it to fire when the vegetable made contact squarely on his forehead. He fell back with green slime oozing down his face, and the children couldn't help but laugh at the sight as the horse dashed past. They had escaped once again.

Hisoka guided the horse on for sometime before stopping and helping the children down.

"Why don't we keep him?" Zia asked, patting the creature's side affectionately. "We would be able to make the journey to the ruined city far quicker if we were riding instead of walking."

Hisoka shook his head. "We would attract too much attention," he told them. "Only city leaders and wealthy conquistadors possess horses here. We need to go unnoticed if we are to escape."

The children watched as he slapped the horse's rump, sending the beast galloping away. Esteban looked around at their surroundings, a bit disorientated. "So where are we now," he asked.

Hisoka glanced around them and said, "Near the lake shore I would think."

Zia stepped closer to him and spoke. "If that is so then there must be boats nearby."

"We could use one to travel across the lake without being detected," Esteban put in smiling.

Hisoka nodded appreciatively. "Then let us see what we can find."

Near the city center, Mendoza gazed at the moon and tried to think of a plan of escape. It wasn't going to be easy as Cortés wasn't taking any chances. _At least he has been delayed_, Mendoza thought with satisfaction. The preparations to leave the city were taking longer than the conquistador had thought and it had been several hours since Mendoza had been imprisoned.

Heavy steel manacles bound Mendoza's hands and he was being guarded by two of the conquistador's personal watchmen. He was being held in a room for smoking various meats, which was near the stables adjoining the house. The area just outside was filled with people preparing Cortés's entourage. They would soon be leaving for the ruined city.

Mendoza sighed and tested the manacles again. It wasn't even a question of escaping at this moment. The quickest way for him to reach the ruins was to ride with Cortés and his men, but he needed to be able to get free at just the right moment. It was also possible that the Marquis would reach the city before the children. Esteban and Zia were very clever, which their escape had proved once again, but they had no Condor, no horses, and no one to help them. They had almost a full day's head start, but would it be enough?

Just outside the small room there was a sudden commotion. He looked up as the door opened and saw the young woman from earlier struggling with his guards. She had been taken away to be questioned just after they had been led from Cortés's study. It seemed that the guards had been unable to learn anything from her and they now led the woman to the smoke house to be held until their departure.

"...have no right to hold me. I will see the Marquis before the audencia for this!"

The guardsmen threw her roughly to the ground beside Mendoza. "Just keep quiet woman!" One of them threatened. "You can voice your complaints to the Marquis himself before long. You'll both be accompanying him and I would suggest that you be on your best behavior," he sneered. The woman looked at them with obvious contempt as she struggled to sit up with her hands bound behind her back. They both laughed and closed the door.

Mendoza helped her to get to her knees. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern, seeing a red welt on her cheek.

She smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Cortés's guards are gentlemen compared to some. And it was that woman, Marinche, who gave me this mark," she said darkly, seeing his eyes linger on the wound on her face. "She is very...persistent," the woman said coolly.

Mendoza sighed and closed his eyes. "You have no idea," he said tiredly.

The young woman looked at him carefully before continuing, "She was very eager to learn who I was and how I knew you, Mendoza."

He looked at her quickly. "How do you know my name?" he queried seriously. "I thought you seemed recognized me in the house, but do I know you?"

"Well enough, I would say," she replied lightly. "It is no wonder that you don't recognize me as the last time I saw you, you were walking away down the pier at Lisbon."

"Lisbon?" Mendoza repeated, confusion in his voice. Then with a start, it came to him. "Anda? You're Andeanna Camões?"

Her smile widened into a grin as she nodded. "I knew you would remember. It has been a long time, Señor Mendoza."

"But what are you doing here? Why are you involved in this, unless..." he trailed off for a moment then said, "Esteban?"

Anda nodded. "This has been a day of renewing old friendships."

Mendoza glanced at the door and then leaned closer, asking quietly, "Do you know where he is?"

"Not precisely." Anda shrugged. "By now they have moved on, but I do know where they are going to be."

"They are going to the ruined city?" She nodded. "But can they can reach the city before Cortés fills it with his personal army."

The young woman didn't seem worried by his concerns. "Hisoka will find a way," she assured him. "He always does."

Mendoza looked at her again with incredulity plain on his face, but that quickly faded to a half smile. "Hisoka? He is here as well?" She just smiled again. "So Hisoka is with Esteban and Zia. That changes things," he said, thinking quickly. "He will get them there somehow, but that still leaves us here in Cortés's tender care."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Anda said. "Yet the only way to reach the city in time may be to stay with his entourage."

"And they have the medallion centers," Mendoza murmured thinking.

Anda looked at him with curiosity. "Medallion centers?" The navigator ignored this and she said carefully. "But even if we were free, we can't defeat Cortés and all of his men."

"We may not have too," Mendoza replied thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the only person in Mexico City who is more powerful then the Marquis is the Viceroy. If we could reach him, we might gain his aid. I've heard that he is an honorable man who cares more for the welfare of those under his authority than for gold." Mendoza looked back at her quickly and said earnestly, "Tell me the truth, Anda, can you free us?"

In response, Anda rolled onto her back and slipped her bound hands under her feet so that they were now in front of her. She then reached into her boot and pulled out a small knife. "I can get free, but I don't know about you," she said as she carefully cut through the ropes that bound her hands. "Those manacles look solidly made."

He shook his head. "Never mind me," he said seriously. "Go and tell the Viceroy what Cortés is about to do. I can only hope that he will believe you."

"And that I can catch him," Anda replied in a dry tone. "He said that he was leaving for the ruined city immediately and that was hours ago."

"I know," Mendoza said gravely, "but it is our only hope. He has no real cause to hurry so they may take the journey more slowly." He sighed and shook his head. "If only you had a horse."

"Oh, I'll find a way," Anda replied with a shrewd grin. She stood up regarding him with interest. "I think you may have more need of this than I will," she said soberly, slipping the blade into his boot. "Try not to die, Mendoza. I want to know the whole story about you and Esteban when we meet again."

"I could say the same thing to you," he replied wryly.

The young woman made a lithe jump and caught hold of the rafters. She swung up easily and made her way to the smoke hole and slipped out of the building. _Hisoka has taught her a few things,_ Mendoza thought with a smile as he watched her go.

Cortés arrived shortly thereafter and was furious at the disappearance of Anda. "We will look for the woman, señor!" they assured the conquistador.

But Cortés replied, "Never mind her. We must leave the city as quickly as possible." He turned his angry eyes on Mendoza and snapped, "Bring him."

The guards were none too gentle as they unshackled the navigator from the wall and pulled him from the room. The yard in front of Cortés's house was filled with people, all of them loyal to the former governor.

Mendoza was dragged to one of the horses in the yard and told to get on. He complied without protest, even when his hands were bound again behind his back. He almost smiled when he saw that they used rope this time rather than steel. He didn't see how he was going to control the beast, but the reigns were handed to another horseman. He turned and saw that Gomez had taken up a place to his right while Gaspar was to his left. He gave each an ironic glance and said, "Good evening, gentlemen." Gomez ignored him and Gaspar let out a growl. "You are as marvelous conversationalists as ever I see," he noted drolly.

He then turned his attention to the front of the company and watched as Cortés mounted his horse at the head of the column of some twenty guards, Marina beside him. As they moved out, Mendoza could not help, but smile to himself at the situation. _Things are working out better than I thought would have believed they could,_ he thought.

Esteban scanned the water ahead as the boat he, Zia, and Hisoka were in glided across the surface of the lake. At the back of the craft sat an Aztec merchant, who had agreed to ferry them across the lake in return for a jade amulet from Hisoka.

"The wind is with you, my friends," the merchant, Ehecatl, said as he paddled. "We should reach the bank well before the dawn."

Hisoka nodded, watching the small sail and then he spoke to the children. "You should both rest while you can. We will have to travel as quickly as possible when we reach the other side of the lake."

Esteban nodded and settled into the front of the boat.

Zia moved carefully to join him. "I hope Tao is safe," she whispered as she settled her head on his shoulder. Esteban could only nod in agreement, not trusting his voice as he was sure he was blushing very brightly at the moment.

Cortés's personal guard arrived at the docks long after midnight and it took sometime for the provisions and horses he would need to be loaded. He pushed his company mercilessly, anxious to set sail.

Mendoza stood between Gaspar and Gomez, who were again acting as his guards and preventing him from escaping. This suited the navigator's purposes for at some point he hoped to have a words with his captors.

He moved a bit closer to Gomez and in a low voice that only he would hear, Mendoza said smoothly, "It seems Marinche has switched allegiance." Gomez's eyes glanced at the navigator although he didn't move his head and said nothing.

Mendoza continued calmly, "You know Cortés, Gomez. There will be little to nothing left of the prize for his underlings. And for all that she says otherwise, do not look to Marinche for a reward. She learned the concept of greed from him and learned it well."

"And what of your treachery, Mendoza!" Gomez hissed venomously. "Every time I have trusted you, I have been met with betrayal. Why would this time be any different?"

"I am not asking for trust, only for you to do what is in your best interest. Swear to give the centers of the medallions back to Esteban and Zia, and I promise that you will be well rewarded for them."

Gomez made a scornful sound, but his face was impassive when Marinche glanced back at him curiously. When she turned away, the former Commander continued, "You hardly seem to be in a position to be making bargains or offering rewards, Mendoza. You may have taken gold from the city before its destruction, but I doubt you will be allowed to keep it when they find it." He inclined his head to Marinche and Cortés.

The navigator gave an almost imperceptible shrug, "As you wish, but my offer stands until I leave the company."

"I will believe that when I see it," Gomez retorted and he moved to climb on board the brigantine, leaving Gaspar to haul his old adversary on board.

Andeanna Camões rode quickly, following an old native road that ran toward the ruined city. She was an excellent rider having learned the skill from Hisoka yet even so, if the moon had not shone so brightly overhead, the going would have been dangerous for the beast. Anda still marveled at her luck as she guided the animal along.

_Anda had watched gloomily from the rooftop of the house as Cortés and his men departed, wondering how in the world she would be able to catch up with the Viceroy. Her first impulse was to merely steal a horse as her words to Mendoza had suggested, but it would not be as easy as she had made it sound. Horses were one of the most valuable possessions one could have in the New World and they were carefully guarded. _And_, she had thought darkly, _the punishment for horse theft is death

_After the Marquis's entourage disappeared from sight, Anda was about to climb down from the house and make her attempt in spite of the dangers, when she noticed a young girl standing just outside the door of the house._

_"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask," Anda said to herself with a humorless laugh. She climbed down quickly and then hurried to the entrance of the house. "Maria!" she called as she came into the light._

_Maria jumped and then sighed with relief when she saw who it was. "Oh Señorita Anda, I am glad to see you." _

_"Maria, where are you?" a voice called from inside the house. Doña Juana appeared at the door and looked at Anda in surprise. "Why aren't you with Hernán, Señorita? I thought he said you were to travel with him along with that woman." Anger crept into her voice as she finished these words._

_"No, my lady," Anda replied quickly, seizing this new opportunity. "But please, I must ask for your help to follow them. The woman, Marinche, will ruin your husband if she has the chance. She has told him lies that can only lead to some treachery against the Viceroy. There is no limit to her ambition!"_

_Doña Juana stared at the woman before her in stunned disbelief, but Maria came to Anda's defense. "Please, Doña Juana. I think she is telling the truth."_

_Cortés's wife stared at them hesitantly, but she obviously believed Marinche capable of anything. "How can you help him?" she asked with a heavy sigh._

_"I need to warn him quickly, my lady," Anda continued, but she was cut off by Doña Juana exclamation of "But you're a woman! How will you do this?"_

_Andeanna suppressed a sigh and said, "I can ride very well, Señora. I will be able to catch up with them."_

_Doña Juana seemed resigned, replying, "Very well. Come with me." She had led Anda to the stables and showed her a magnificent horse. Maria disappeared as the two women prepared the creature for its journey. "Hermosa is her name and she belongs to me," Doña Juana replied proudly to a question from Anda, as she helped her saddle the animal. "Please make sure that you return her to me in good condition, Señorita."_

_Anda smiled reassuringly as she swung into the saddle. "Of course, my lady. I will take good care of her." She was about to urge the horse forward when the voice of Maria called, "Please wait!" Anda glanced toward the house and saw the girl running toward them with something clutched in her hands. _

_Maria stopped beside them and held out a sheathed sword to Anda. "This belongs to that man father took with him. He is a friend of Esteban's and Zia's?" Anda nodded. "Then take it and be careful."_

_Doña Juana looked at Maria curiously then shifted her gaze back to Andeanna. "Meet me at the front of the house," she told her. "I also have something to give you."_

Although she had wanted nothing more than to hurry on as quickly as possible, Anda had done as Lady Cortés had asked and was now very grateful for it. For the Señora had given her a message to give to any guards who might attempt to stop her, thinking she had stolen the horse. The paper had gotten Anda past the guards on the bridges and out onto the road she now traveled. And as the night wore on, she could only hope that she was not too far behind the Viceroy's company.

Tao stood on top of the largest temple of the ruins, scanning the distance in the direction of Mexico City. The sun was rising in the east, slowly warming the earth and stone under the boy's feet.

He glanced to where he had landed the Condor in the wide central avenue of the city the day before and could just make out the two dots that were Pedro and Sancho. The pair had stubbornly refused to come and help him keep watch even when Tao had reminded them that there could be Spanish soldiers lurking in the ruined buildings.

Tao sighed tiredly. He hadn't slept very much the previous night, worrying about all the things that could go wrong with Mendoza's plan. Still, all he could do was wait and watch for a sign.

His vigil stretched into the late morning, but he did not cease watching for his friends. Suddenly, from below he heard frantic shouting. His heart leapt into his throat. _No!_ he thought frantically. _Don't let it be soldiers._

Tao turned his head immediately to gaze at the Condor. He could see the shapes of Sancho and Pedro, but what had caused their excitement? He squinted and gasped. _Could it possibly be?_

He had turned to run down the temple stairs, but his attention was brought back to the open plain by a flash of light. He looked back and stared. "This day just keeps getting better," he said aloud, not sure whether he should laugh or groan. Tao ran down the stairs of the temple, nearly falling several times. He met Kokapedl halfway down, but he ignored the bird in his haste to reach the bottom.

The Hevan boy let out a joyous whoop as two familiar figures came into view. "Esteban! Zia!" he called and he could hear their excited voices shouting to him as they ran to join him. They reached him just as he cleared the last steps of the temple with a leap.

"How? When? What happened!" Tao could not contain his questions as the three friends caught each other in a tight embrace.

Esteban laughed as he took a step back and replied, "We could ask you the same questions. How did you get out of the temple?"

"Yes," Zia said, finally pulling away and wiping tears from her eyes. "I was so afraid I had trapped you in the temple. I'm so sorry!"

Tao smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Zia. The temples are connected by a system of underground tunnels and I found my way out. I saw Spanish soldiers in the city and assumed you had been captured."

"We were," Esteban confirmed, "but Anda and Hisoka helped us escape."

"Who?" Tao asked confused. He looked to where Esteban gestured and saw a man he had never laid eyes on before leaning back to gaze up in amazement at the Condor. Sancho and Pedro stood nearby, frowning at him as if daring the newcomer to touch it.

"He's a friend of Mendoza's."

"He didn't mention having any friends in Mexico City," Tao said in a suspicious, low voice.

"That is because he doesn't know that we are here," Hisoka said, turning away from the great bird to smile at the children. "Where is Mendoza?" he asked Tao.

"I...I think he is coming now," Tao replied carefully. "But we thought he would have to rescue Zia and Esteban. I don't know if the plan we worked out is still feasible."

"What plan?" Esteban asked, looking concerned.

"I will tell you on the way," Tao said anxiously, pulling the other boy toward the Condor. "I'm glad you will be the one flying and not me."

Esteban looked confused and then pleased as Tao gave him the key to the Condor.

"Zia," Tao called as Esteban settled into the pilot's seat. "Take everyone to the Temple of the Winged Serpent. We will meet you there as soon as we can."

Zia also looked perplexed, but nodded as Esteban placed the golden disk into its place and the Condor's head rose, preparing for take off.

"Let's go," Tao said and Esteban pulled back on the controls. The Golden Condor lifted off and Tao directed his friend to fly towards the lake. "I just hope that Mendoza has managed to make the rest of the plan come off, even with you and Zia gone." Esteban looked at him, thoroughly bewildered. "I will explain while you fly," the Hevan boy assured him.

Mendoza sat on the back of a horse riding at full speed toward the ruined city Marinche had called Teotihuacan. Cortés had ordered them to ride as soon as his ship reached the lake shore closest to the city. The navigator had had to ride with his hands tied behind his back with his horse being controlled by Gomez. He was not quite sure whether this was a good thing or not as the former Commander had given no sign that he would side with Mendoza when the moment came. Yet the navigator had no choice but to plan that he would in the end. It was about an hour after sunrise when the first cry of amazement and terror came from Cortés's guards. Mendoza looked up in the sky and couldn't help but smile delightedly at the sight that met his eyes.

"It's a demon, a monster!" panicked voices were saying around him as the bright object dived towards the entourage.

The navigator watched as the Condor soared over the heads of the men and heard his own horse give a whiny of panic. Just as Gomez seemed about to lost his grip on Mendoza's horse, the navigator slid to the ground. Mendoza's horse bolted and many of its fellows did likewise. Several of the company had been thrown by their mounts, including Gaspar and Marinche.

The Marquis and Gomez struggled to keep their beasts under control. But even they were unable to prevent their terrified animals from fleeing as the Condor dived again, coming in practically on top of them.

Mendoza managed to pull the dagger Anda had given him from his belt and cut through the ropes with a silent thanks to the young woman. As the Condor came around for a third time Mendoza thought with amusement, _Either Tao has became a much better pilot over night of that is not him behind the controls._ He watched as the machine made a precise touchdown and he was on his feet in a heartbeat, sprinting towards the Condor's head.

"Stop him," came a strangled cry. Marinche was still on the ground, but shouted furiously at Cortés's guards.

He laughed and then called, "The time has come, Commander!" Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Gomez had managed to pull his horse around and was thundering toward the great bird.

Gaspar looked up dazedly as the navigator passed him. "Mendoza!" he yelled angrily. "Come back here!" And he too began to run towards the Condor.

Mendoza looked up to the command chair and saw to his joy that it was indeed Esteban at the controls.

Cortés had also managed to regain control of his horse by this time and screamed, "Draw your weapons men!" Mendoza heard him call. "Open fire!"

"Get down," the navigator call to Tao and Esteban as he reached the beak of the golden bird. He, himself, just managed to duck behind it when the crack of several rifles cut the air.

Mendoza looked back around and saw Cortés's men futilely trying to reload their weapons. The Marquis's own weapon was drawn although none of the bullets from him or his men seemed to have found their target. Gaspar was once again picking himself up off the ground, apparently having followed Mendoza's order as well or perhaps he had merely tripped. Gomez was a little farther back, still riding hard for the Condor. The navigator whipped around the beak and climbed into the flying machine with Gaspar close on his heels.

Esteban looked non to pleased about Gaspar climbing into his precious Condor, but made no comment. The navigator took the seat to Esteban's left as Tao was on his right and jerked a thumb toward the bench behind him, saying to Gaspar shortly, "Back there."

As he looked back, he saw that Gomez had also now reached the Condor and dismounted from his horse. Yet he turned back as a voice called his name. The former Commander looked back to Marinche who had yelled to him, but he saw that she had not moved from where she had fallen.

"Leave now," she spat, her face twisted in anger, "and I will see to it that you have nothing."

Gomez looked pale as he gazed at her, but then favored her with an ironic bow. "My lady," he said wryly, before turning to climb carefully into the Condor. Tao glanced at him critically as he took his seat next to Gaspar, but also said nothing.

Esteban pulled back on the controls and the Condor lifted into the sky.

Marinche watched bitterly as the bird flew back toward the ruined city. A horse stopped by her side and she heard Cortés swear vehemently.

"I thought you might have taken leave of your senses, my dear Marina," he said, his voice filled with wonder, "when you told about that flying bird. Who could have imagined that such things could exist?"

"Now is not the time to consider this mystery," Marinche replied, rising shakily to her feet. "We must hurry on to the city." She looked toward the sky and smiled vengefully. "They will not leave before discovering the secret of the Serpent temple. We must capture them there, Hernán," Marinche insisted, taking hold of the conquistador's arm. "With the power of the Golden Condor and the wealth of the cities of gold, your authority would be unquestioned in all of New Spain." He looked at her with interest. His desire for more power was evident and she leaned close to him whispering, "With such strength you would not need the approval of anyone to command this land. Not the Viceroy, not even the king."

Cortés looked at her sharply. "Do you know what you are suggesting, Marina?" he asked, his voice tight, his face inscrutable.

"Yes," she breathed, ignoring the pain her body felt. "And I will always stand beside you, my lord."

"You speak treason, my dear Marina." The conquistador turned away yet he quickly called for his men. "Hurry, you dolts!" he shrieked. "Gather the horses so we can continue!"

Marinche smiled darkly at his words. She knew him too well.


	10. Beyond the Great Doors

Beyond the Great Doors

Zia breathed a sigh of relief as the Condor touched down in the courtyard of the Winged Serpent temple. Tao had been so anxious when they left that she feared for her friends' safety, a feeling that was only heightened when she saw that Esteban and Tao had returned with passengers other than Mendoza. With some trepidation, Zia crossed the distance to the golden bird and noticed that Hisoka also moved to greet those emerging from the machine. Esteban quickly slid down the beak of the bird and smiled reassuringly at her, then looked back at Tao who seemed about to follow him down.

"...had better help him, Gaspar," Zia heard him say. "Moving improperly could make it worse." With that he too slid to the ground and joined his friends.

"Is something wrong, Tao?" Zia asked.

"Gomez was wounded by Cortés' men," the Hevan boy replied simply.

"Is it bad?" she said, her kind heart torn between sympathy or feeling it was just what the former Commander deserved.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," Hisoka offered.

Tao shrugged. "If you want to..."

The strange man helped Gaspar get the wounded Gomez to the ground and move him into the shade of the temple. Mendoza was the last to exit the Condor and walked towards the others carrying a brown satchel that looked very heavy.

Esteban had rarely seen Mendoza look so pleased as when Hisoka greeted him. "I never thought I would see you again, my friend," Mendoza said with a wide smile.

"Nor I you," Hisoka replied shaking the navigator's hand warmly.

The children continued to watch curiously as the pair spoke. Zia, in particular, was surprised by the joy evident in the Spaniard at this reunion. _You haven't often encountered old friends, have you?_ she thought with surprising gentleness.

"You don't seem surprised to see me. I hope that means you had warning from another."

"I did, in fact," Mendoza replied, "but it may be sometime before Anda arrives. For the moment we need to solve the mystery of this temple and leave as quickly as possible. Cortés will not give up the chase so easily." With that he turned to Gomez and Gaspar, his demeanor becoming firm and resolute. "I have kept my word, Gomez. I trust you will do the same."

The former Commander looked very pale, but his voice was clear and strong as he answered, "You will get the medallion pieces when I receive the reward you promised."

"The medallions!" Zia and Esteban exclaimed, but Tao shook his head and gave them a look that told them to remain quiet for now.

Mendoza didn't speak, merely throwing the bag down in front of the two soldiers feet. It clanged loudly, the sound of which stirring not only Gaspar and Gomez, but also Pedro and Sancho who had until then been standing nervously to the side of the group.

"Now see here, Mendoza!" Pedro yelled angrily as Sancho began to stutter, "B-but that's ou-ours!"

"We had an agreement," Gomez snarled dangerously, pulling a pistol from his coat as Gaspar's hand fell onto his sword. The two sailors looked at Mendoza worriedly. Mendoza ignored them as he watched Gomez open the sack, the gold within glinting even in the shadows of the temple. The light seemed to grow and intensify in the eyes of the former soldiers, their capacious greed evident on their faces.

"Very well," Gomez finally said. He reached into his coat and withdrew two small golden disks from their place of concealment. The Commander gave them to Mendoza who walked over to Esteban and Zia and knelt before them. He snapped the disks back into place, first in Zia's medallion and then in Esteban's. The navigator stood and stepped away from them as the light of the sun reflected dazzlingly off of the gold, like miniature suns. Esteban grinned and Zia said, "Thank you," very softly, her eyes momentarily filled with tears.

"Come on," Tao urged them. "We need to go to the underground temple!"

"You're right, Tao," Esteban agreed.

The trio ran cheerfully to the stairs that lead to the apex of the pyramid, quickly followed by Pedro and Sancho while Mendoza and Hisoka hung back as Gomez got to his feet. "It is not wise for you to go, Señor," Hisoka told him seriously. "You are still losing blood."

"I'll manage," Gomez snapped. Then he turned to Gaspar and ordered, "Bring the gold."

"I think I will stay behind, Mendoza," Hisoka said unexpectedly. "You will need a lookout to alert you if Cortés arrives sooner than expected."

"Still not interested in treasure, Hisoka?" Mendoza asked with some amusement.

"I leave treasure hunting up to others. Good luck!"

The other adults followed the children into the temple and arrived just as the secret passage opened. "Are they coming too?" Esteban asked incredulously, seeing the soldiers enter the room.

Mendoza shrugged and replied, "It hardly matters. And this way they cannot betray our location to Cortés."

The strange group walked single file down the narrow steps with the adults occasionally emitting cries of astonishment at the sight of the images that decorated the tunnels.

"How is this possible?" Gomez asked, stopping to stare at a picture that clearly was of a horse. "Many of these creatures do not exist in the New World! How could these effigies be painted inside a temple by a people that could never have seen them before!"

"And how do you know that the people who built this city did not already have a knowledge of the larger world?" Tao asked dryly.

"Because no one from here could have seen the Old World," Gaspar put in stubbornly as he followed his commander down the steps.

Tao shook his head and replied lightly, "You presume too much and know too little to make those sorts of assessments."

As Gaspar bristled at the comment, they reached the main chamber of the temple. The group spread out into the room, the torchlight revealing the hieroglyphics and the great doors beyond.

"Tell me," Tao asked curiously, settling into a scholarly posture, with his hands clasped behind his back, "what do each of you believe the cities of gold are? Why were they built?" He looked to the two soldiers and Gomez shrugged disdainfully in response.

"What does it matter? The only thing that interests me in the gold."

Tao's eyebrows arched in a contemptuous way and continued, "You can still say that after all that you have seen in your travels? After witnessing the power and technology that the Olmecs possessed and how it was countered by the city of gold itself?" He sighed dramatically and went on, "Then listen carefully for you are about to learn a great deal about the world you thought you knew."

Tao walked to a panel of hieroglyphs to the right of the doors and began, "Ages ago the world was very different. Long before the Incas and the Aztecs began to build their empires or Europeans discovered the New World, two great civilizations flourished on vast continents in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The scientific knowledge controlled by the people of these lands is unparalleled by anything created today."

In spite of themselves, Gomez and Gaspar appeared very interested by this tale, while Mendoza's expression was hard to read in the firelight. Pedro and Sancho, on the other hand, were examining the great sun disks on the doors, no doubt trying to figure out how to purloin them.

"If they were so great," Gaspar said, folding his arms across his broad chest, "why don't we know about them?"

Tao rolled his eyes and all but snapped, "Because all of this happened thousands of years ago. But there are those who do still remember those ancient days even if your people don't. If you hadn't been so blinded by your lust for gold you might have noticed that in every place we have traveled the people remembered this heritage, at least in part." Tao began to count off on his fingers as he said, "At Pizarro's fort, in Zia's village, at the High Peak, and especially in the Olmecs base there were legends, and sometimes even lost technology from the people of Hiva."

"Oh course!" Mendoza interrupted, his voice filled with realization and excitement. "That is the connection between all of our discoveries."

Tao nodded, looking very pleased with himself. "You weren't there when Zia and Esteban opened the doors of the city of gold and so you didn't have the benefit of the High Priest's explanation of how this came to be. I didn't truly understand it all myself," Tao admitted, "as I only knew part of the legend that had been passed down in my own family. Who knows? There may be other places or accounts of this from different regions of the world. But here," Tao turned again to wave his hand toward the writing on the walls, "a more complete tale is told."

"We don't have time for this, Tao," Pedro complained. He had stopped looking at the doors at Mendoza's exclamation. "Cortés will be here before long!"

"Then leave," Tao replied calmly. "You don't have to stay, but what I am saying is important."

The descendent of Hiva looked to his friends for support, but Mendoza said first, "I think it is in our interests to hear what these walls record, but be quick Tao. We only have an hour or so before Cortés and Marinche will reach the city."

The boy nodded and continued, "For many years Atlantis and Hiva coexisted peacefully with each other, but having little to do with the others' affairs. But," Tao turned to favor the adults with a sad smile, "the peace didn't last. The war between them ravaged the whole world. Green lands were turned into deserts and the primitive peoples that inhabited the other continents were devastated by a conflict they could not understand." Tao walked across the chamber as he spoke, gesturing to various panels as he continued. "One day, a man appeared in the court of the Emperor of Hiva. He was a sacred messenger, a traveling prophet, who warned the Emperor that the war would bring about the end of his realm and the destruction of their way of life."

"A traveling prophet!" Esteban exclaimed.

"Yes," Tao answered, looking at his eager friend. "The Emperor was deeply troubled by the words of the messenger and begged to know if there was a way to stop this calamity. The traveler replied that the only way to preserve a part of their world was to build seven cities that would contain their knowledge and help their descendants create a new world."

"The cities of gold!" Zia said earnestly.

"Exactly!" Tao nodded.

"But how could they rebuild their civilization if all of their people were destroyed in the war?" Gomez asked, looking as though he only half believed the boy's story.

"That brings us to the heart of the matter, doesn't it," Tao answered with a grin and walked to the last three panels in the room. "These hieroglyphs say that only a few of the people of Hiva believed the words of the prophet. They could not grasp how their empire could fail, fall. Those who did heed the words were sent to different places across the world to construct the golden cities. Not long after their work was complete the thing, which the traveler had prophesied, came to pass. The weapons of the sun were used and the two great civilizations of Atlantis and Hiva disappeared beneath the sea."

"The Emperor's family had been sent to the farthest reaches of their empire before the great calamity, but the effects of the use of the sun weapons were so horrible that all the Hivan colonies lost contact with each other. They also could no longer use the power of the cities of gold for they had been sealed and the keys that could open them were sent away. One had been given to the traveling prophet while the other was taken by the eldest daughter of the Emperor." Tao paused and smiled at the astounded Zia. "It would seem we have a common ancestor."

Sobering again, he continued, "The people did not know how to live in such primitive conditions and had it not been for the good will of the lesser cultures they encountered, they might not have survived. The descendants of Hiva worked to preserve their way of life, building cities like the one we stand in now, but gradually their vast scientific knowledge was lost or only dimly recalled."

"And yet they managed to build the three ruined cities, which contained the clues that would lead to the city of gold," Mendoza added as Tao fell silent.

The boy nodded. "Many treasures besides the cities of gold survived the great war, like the Solaris and the Golden Condor."

"So you think that another treasure like the Condor is hidden behind these doors?" Esteban asked excitedly.

"Yes, or at least, I think it has something to do with the Condor."

"Then lets open them and find out!" Zia and Tao nodded, following Esteban to the doors. Gaspar and Gomez also stepped closer eagerly, while the three sailor hung back as prior experiences had taught them to be wary of these ancient mechanisms.

Zia and Esteban removed the centers of their medallions and reached to put them into place. "Be careful," Mendoza warned them. "This city doesn't appear to have been damaged in the same manner as the third ruin, but there might still be other traps."

Esteban nodded and turned to Zia. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and they placed the sun part of their medallions into the centers of the great sun disks. The trio stepped away quickly as a slight hum began to emanate from the doors. They began to open smoothly, a soft light spilling through the gap between them. The red glow of the torches was drowned in this new radiance and the travelers blinked and looked away from the brilliance. When he could, Esteban turned his gaze back to the doors and gasped in astonishment at the sight.

The room he looked into was elaborately decorated with another mural of the body of the Winged Serpent although, unlike the one in the upper chamber, this one had been created with what looked like gold and gemstones. The light issued from the ceiling and at the center of the room on a raised dais loomed the jeweled head of the serpent. Its scales were fashioned of gold and jade; its eyes were a black faceted stone that glittered as if it were alive.

The others made sounds similar to Esteban's and Zia said, "How lovely!" The children quickly stepped into the chamber closely followed by their companions.

"Don't touch anything in here," Mendoza warned them, his gaze falling on Gaspar and Gomez. "These temples often have hidden traps."

The pair looked incredulous until Tao said, "You do remember what happened to the temple in Zia's village, don't you?"

Gaspar, in particular, looked worried after this statement almost like he would he would rather not be in the chamber at all. "Are you sure that it is safe?" he asked.

The Hivan boy shrugged, but looked amused. "I just wouldn't touch anything if I were you," he replied and then turned to examine the dais.

"What is this, Tao?" Esteban asked, gazing curiously at one of the claws of the serpent, which held a golden sphere.

"I don't know." Tao's answer sounded puzzled. "I've never seen anything like it." As he moved his hand to touch the orb Pedro, Sancho, and Gaspar let out a hissing gasp.

"B-b-be careful Tao," Sancho warned, looking very afraid.

The boy felt the sphere tentatively then lifted it from its resting place. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief they hadn't realized they were holding. Tao looked at the object more closely and could only discern slight lines or decorations engraved on its surface, but he could not fathom their meaning.

"Are you sure it isn't the serpent's head that is the treasure you seek?" Gomez asked.

Tao looked at the figure again and shook his head. "No, I'm sure that the sphere is the prize the hieroglyphs referred to. I just don't know what it is...yet."

"We must be on our way, my friends," Mendoza urged them. "It won't be long before Cortés arrives."

Esteban nodded in agreement before turning away from the resplendent room. He and Zia paused a moment to remove the pieces of the medallions and the great doors slid close behind them. They had just crossed the chamber when Hisoka appeared at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Mendoza!" he said anxiously. "Does that golden bird usually glow and move with no one in it!"

"What?" Esteban cried. He looked at Tao, who seemed as shocked as he was, then the child of the sun bolted for the stairs closely followed by Zia, Tao and Mendoza. Pedro and Sancho glanced at Gomez and Gaspar apprehensively before following, leaving Hisoka who glanced at the commander and asked, "Do you need my help again?" The commander nodded reluctantly before climbing the steps supported by Gaspar and the foreigner.

Esteban emerged into the sunlight and had to hide his eyes from the radiance emitted from the Golden Condor. "What is happening?" he asked looking to Tao, but his friend's expression was one of shock and disbelief.

"We can't stay here," Mendoza said gazing around at the ruins. "Cortés could be here at any moment. This light will lead them straight to us!"

"But what about the Condor!" Zia exclaimed. "We can't..."

"There they are!" A voice yelled from the entrance to the courtyard. The children spun and saw Cortés' guards riding hard toward them.

"Back to the pyramid everyone!" Mendoza yelled. They all turned to run back the way they had come, but they were cut off by the horsemen from the entrance as well as guards who had scaled the walls of the enclosure.

"We're surrounded!" Esteban shouted.

"What can we do?" Zia cried.

"Do nothing," Mendoza said with forced calm. "They have the upper hand for now."

The circle of foes opened for a moment as Cortés rode into the group, with Marinche on the horse behind him.

"So we meet again, Mendoza," the conquistador said in a sinister tone. "Although I believe this will be the last time for such a reunion."

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure," the navigator growled.

"Nor I, but we must set aside such pleasant thoughts for now," his gaze shifted to Esteban and Zia, who took a step back. The marquis' eyes gleamed maniacally, but his tone was moderated to that of a chastising father. "Ah, children! I am pleased that we have found you at last. I'm disappointed in your behavior, however. Do you not know how dangerous it is here? You could be hurt." His gaze slid over to the Condor. "But I am delighted with the gift you have given me. I wouldn't have believed that this great bird could fly, but you proved to me otherwise. I must know more about this extraordinary device."

"But first we must know what secret lies in the Temple of the Serpent," Malinche demanded abruptly. "What have you discovered?"

Mendoza shrugged as he replied, "Do we appear to be laden with gold? There was nothing to take in the temple." Tao resisted the urge to shift and better hide the lump that was created by the golden sphere that he had secreted away under his poncho before they were captured.

Malinche looked disbelieving while Cortés gave the navigator a scornful smile. "I will believe that when I see it." He turned to his guards and ordered, "You four bind their hands and bring Señor Mendoza and the children into the temple. Take the rest of them out of sight, but keep a careful watch on the golden bird. When the Viceroy arrives we must be ready for him."

Esteban and his friends were forced to climb the steps to the temple once again, each silent and concerned. Cortés and Malinche followed closely behind them. The conquistadors watched in astonishment when secret passage slid open, revealing the staircase to the underground chamber.

"Remarkable," the marquis murmured, "to think that such power has existed here all this time." He looked up at his prisoners and gestured to the opening. "After you, my dear children."

Tao gritted his teeth as they continued into the underground temple. Malinche ran her hands over the carved stone doors with a look of ecstasy on her face. Without glancing back, she commanded, "You will now open the doors, children."

Esteban looked to Mendoza who gave a hint of a nod. Taking each other's hand, they walked to the doors and put the medallions in place. Once again bright light flooded the room. The guards, Malinche, and Cortés gaped at the magnificence of the inner sanctum. As their captors stepped forward, Zia and Esteban backed away carefully. The Inca girl glanced to where Tao and Mendoza stood, no longer under watch. Tao nodded as the navigator whispered something to him and he warily joined his friends.

"If this goes as badly as I think it might," Tao breathed, "grab the medallions and follow us into the secret tunnels."

They all watched as Cortés and his men tested the room, looking for loose treasures. "Look," one of the guards called, "the head of this serpent moves."

The children tensed as the marquis ordered, "Pull it free!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Cortés," Mendoza warned him. "All the temples we have encountered have been constructed with traps for those who are only interested in gold."

"Be silent!" the conquistador bellowed. "I have heard enough of your talk, had enough of your tricks. Torres, I will reward you handsomely if you will end this man's life!"

One of the men stepped away from his fellows and raised his rifle, preparing to fire. Mendoza pushed Esteban away from him toward Zia and Tao, both rooted in place with shock near the wall of the chamber. But before Mendoza or the guard could take any further action, there was a tremendous roar of stressed stone and the room trembled ominously.

The head of the serpent was illuminated in a terrible red light cast from the statues eyes that now blazed like fire. Cortés and his men backed away in sudden fear and Tao couldn't help but yell, "See! We warned you!"

The guardsmen quickly bolted for the stairway as the shaking intensified. The conquistador, however, pulled his pistol and yelled. "Up the stairs children. I still have need of you three."

"No!" Esteban began, but he was cut off by Mendoza who pushed him toward the stairs.

"Do as he says, Esteban, and hurry!" the navigator yelled over the frightening din.

The marquis cast him a look of pure loathing. "As much as I would enjoy shooting you, the thought of you being buried alive is too opportune. And how fitting, Mendoza, that you will die with her." He gestured contemptuously to where Marinche had sunk to the floor near the great stone doors.

"You cannot leave me! Please don't leave me here!" she said, her voice trembling piteously.

Cortés gave Marinche one last chilling smile as the first stones began to rain down from the ceiling. He then darted up the stairs without a backward glance, forcing the children on ahead of him, leaving his former mistress and the navigator to their fate.

Mendoza raced across the room dodging the debris and pulled the medallions from the doors, which were held open by fallen stones. He picked up the fallen woman from the floor and ran to the temple wall inscribed with a sun. Praying that the temple would hold together for a few more moments and that the collapsing temple wouldn't affect the passage, he pulled up its center section.

"Just leave me," Marinche cried bitterly as the secret passage opened. "I have nothing left to live for in this world!"

Mendoza face hardened and he didn't reply, but instead wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to the tunnel. He grabbed a torch from the wall with his free hand then ran forward into the tunnels with his broken nemesis. Moments later the roof of the serpent temple gave way in an avalanche of debris and dust.

Sancho and Pedro trembled in fear along with the rest of Cortés' men when the ground began to shake and the pyramid crumbled. Esteban, Zia, and Tao fled from the shrine followed closely by the conquistador just as the temple at the top of the pyramid collapsed in on itself, sealing the passage forever. The three children scrambled down the steps, but where met with drawn swords and ready rifles at the bottom.

Cortés was the last to step from the stairway and seemed nonplussed by the narrow escape. "An unfortunate loss, men," he told his soldiers, "but the real treasure lies before you. Young Esteban, I've seen that you can fly this strange craft. You will show me how this is done. Now!"

Esteban gritted his teeth, wanting to argue or fight, but he heard Tao hiss, "Do as he says, but take your time about it. Help is coming."

"Alright," the boy replied and led the way to the Condor.

"Once we are aloft," Cortés ordered his men, "take the children and begin the journey back to the city."

"And what of the adults?" his commander asked.

"They are of no consequence now. Take them deep into the ruins and dispose of them." The conquistador still carried his pistol in his hand and he motioned with it for Esteban to go to the Condor.

With a sinking feeling, the boy walked past the terrified Sancho and Pedro. He also saw the grim, but determined looks on the faces of Gomez and Gaspar. Esteban could only hope that they would all find a way to get out of their predicament even without Mendoza's help.

The light that had been emitted earlier by the Condor had faded and Esteban wondered what it had meant. It seemed clear that the ancient device still held many secrets. Indeed the interior of the bird had shifted. The three pilots seats remained in their original position, but the rear bench had been recessed farther into the Condor. It was deeply shadowed and Esteban didn't have time to fully observe his surroundings as Cortés quickly followed him into the great bird.

The child of the sun sat stiffly in the pilot's chair and the conquistador took the place to his left, his pistol still in his hand. "Amazing," he murmured, glancing around. "Well, young Esteban, show me how this great bird flies."

The boy nodded and removed the sun disk from his pocket. It slid into place and he felt some satisfaction when the conquistador flinched at the sight of the golden snake emerging from concealment. Esteban took one last look at the worried faces of his friend's as the glass dome closed. With a deep breath he pulled the control stick back and the Condor lifted into the sky.

Cortés cried out in delighted amazement and Esteban asked through gritted teeth, "Where shall I take you?"

Distractedly his captor replied, "Fly once around the ruins and then return to Mexico City. I wish to see my capital from the heavens."

Esteban obeyed the command, but felt a flood of frustration. He had to stop this evil man somehow! He wouldn't let Cortés take the Golden Condor or have Zia and Tao in his power. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Esteban caught sight of movement on the ground and instinctively pulled the controls to get a better look, saying quietly, "What is that?"

A column of horsemen was riding hard toward the city, their front lines almost to the limits of the ruins. "So, that fool of a Viceroy has finally arrived. Dive down on them, Esteban. I want their mounts scattered."

Before the boy could protest or comply, a calm voice interjected, "I don't believe that will be necessary, Esteban."

The Viceroy's men pulled up a bit and cried out in shock as the Golden Condor swooped over their heads. The governor of New Spain himself shouted, "Glorious!" as he watched in the bird in amazement.

A young woman in foreign garb reigned in her horse briefly to plead, "Please, Your Excellency, we must hurry on! There is nothing we can do about that machine while it remains in the sky, but there are people on the ground who must be found and dealt with." Anda spurred her horse on again and heard the Viceroy Mendoza calling his soldier's back to the task at hand. Desperately they raced down the wide avenue of the ruins searching for Cortés' men.

As they approached the far end, two children ran from an opening that led into a wide courtyard. Seeing the soldier's they hurriedly turned to flee again, but Andeanna called out, "Wait, Zia!"

The Inca girl looked round and caught Tao's arm. "It's you. We were afraid it was more of Cortés' guards."

"Where are they, little one?" the Viceroy asked the two children.

"Back there," Tao said, breathlessly pointing into the opening they had just rushed out of. "Hurry or they will be killed!"

"Forward men!" he called, but the woman was faster. She had galloped into the courtyard and rode hard toward the battle that was taking place at the center of the plaza. Eyes sweeping the scene, she saw one man already on the ground and another who stood over his fallen comrade. He was fighting several opponents at once with brutal yet effective swordsmanship, but Anda saw no sign of her companion Hisoka or Mendoza. Two other men were keeping the guardsmen at bay with stones from the rubble of a collapsed building.

Andeanna knew she was no match for the armored men in combat, but there were few who could compare with her riding skills. She spurred Hermosa toward the desperate battle in the middle of the square, charging at the guardsmen. Several backed away quickly while others did not notice the large beast until they were bowled over.

Pulling the horse around, she surveyed the results of the action. Her entrance had distracted the combatants, save one who took advantage of the diversion to move in to finish off the man who had fallen. Anda was about to call out to warn him, but the man in the gray coat was not about to be killed so easily. In a moment he was on his feet again and disarmed his opponent with stunning speed. Yet the movement cost him and he nearly doubled over in pain, clutching at his side.

Taking advantage of the lull, his companion in red yelled in gruff surprise, "Who the hell are you!"

"Well, who the hell are _you_?" she automatically responded.

Gaspar gave a bark of laughter before becoming all business once again. "Take the commander away from here, woman. I will take care of this riffraff." The man in the gray coat still looked as though he was in pain, but he took the hand offered to him and swung up behind her on the horse.

But in the few moments that these actions had taken, the guardsmen had had time to regroup their attack. Anda could see that both the commander and his friend were exhausted, yet determined continue the battle. "If we can hold them off for a few more moments, the Viceroy will put an end to this!" she yelled. The two weary soldiers nodded and prepared to continue the fight.

As their enemies surged around them, Gomez defended Hermosa with his sword while Gaspar continued to toss their foes aside as if they weighed no more than a doll. Andeanna did her best to keep the horse in motion, never giving the attackers a stationary target. Even Sancho and Pedro abandoned their stone throwing and threw themselves into the ring of protection formed by the three combatants.

"Enough! Halt in the name of the King!" A voice roared over the din of battle. "Lay down your weapons before I have you all imprisoned for defying the command of His Majesty's representative." Cortés' men appeared confused, but quickly obeyed this order after seeing the superior numbers that now faced them.

"Ah, we're safe!" Pedro sighed as sat up from the ground where he and Sancho had been cowering in fear.

"So it would seem," Gomez added, looking relieved and yet wary as well, as if he wasn't sure this turn of fortune would ultimately be in his favor.

"Yes, but I can only hope that the rest of our friends are fairing so well," Anda said, her eyes scanning the heavens.

Esteban quickly turned to look behind them in astonishment and saw the composed visage of Hisoka, who had appeared from somewhere behind them. Although, he had no idea where he had come from Esteban let out a delighted cry at the sight of the stranger.

Cortés, on the other hand, had not moved as Hisoka's sword tip was just touching his neck. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure, Señor."

"Nor shall you," Hisoka answered coolly. "Please take us back to the temple, Esteban."

But the conquistador wasn't about to give in so easily. His foot shot out and kicked the control stick sharply to the left. Hisoka lost his balance as the golden bird plunged suddenly toward the ground and his sword fell away from the conquistador's throat. This distraction gave Cortés enough time to train his pistol on the interloper.

"I don't know who you are, but I won't let you ruin my plans!" he roared, holding onto the seat to Esteban's right through the sickening plummet of the Condor.

Esteban looked over his shoulder in horror to see his would be rescuer on the floor, his hand gripping the base of the right seat. Reacting instinctively he yelled, "Hold on!" The boy pulled the controls hard to the right, completely rolling the Condor before correcting the bird again.

Cortés fell back against the cabin wall, but didn't lose his grip on the gun. In a moment, he had recovered and was training his weapon on his opponent again, but Hisoka was even quicker. Using the momentum of Esteban's desperate maneuver, he jumped up and over the seats to land a solid kick to the conquistador's jaw.

Esteban jumped to the far side of his seat, as Hisoka's right foot landed on the armrest of his chair. The foreigner completed the smooth rotation with ease, his other boot connecting with the pistol that was still gripped by Cortés. The gun flew across the control console of the Condor to land in the shadowed recesses of the far side of the bird. The marquis, however, fell heavily against the dome and remained where he landed, temporarily stunned.

Hisoka held his sword on the conquistador once more and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Esteban. That was quick thinking."

The boy nodded in acknowledgement, but his thoughts had already moved back to worry about his friends still in Teotihuacan. "We need to get back," he said seriously. Esteban could only hope that Zia and Tao were all right.

The afternoon was growing old as Esteban brought the Golden Condor back to the ruined city. He looked carefully around, trying to get the measure of the soldiers who quickly surrounded the flying machine. He was a bit worried until he saw two small shapes push through the crowd. Tao and Zia also looked anxious, but the sight of Esteban's grin caused them to smile too.

"Go ahead, Esteban," Hisoka said, his eyes never leaving Cortés' face. "We will follow."

The boy slid down the beak of the Condor to meet his friends who were joined by the Viceroy and Andeanna.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked, looking to her companion who now stood with the angry and visibly undefeated conquistador.

"Viceroy!" he said, stepping away from Hisoka and Esteban. "I demand that you arrest these men," he gestured from the foreigner to Gaspar, Gomez, and the others, "and take the children into custody. They have attacked me and my men in an attempt to steal this treasure that rightfully belongs to..."

"Marguis Cortés," Viceroy Mendoza cut in smoothly, "I think it unlikely that these strangers and mere children have caused any harm to you or your men, although they may not be able to say the same of you. Your actions here are very near treason!"

The conquistador flushed furiously, but his voice remained cool and calm as he replied, "I have only ever served the interests of the crown."

"I doubt that His Majesty will care for your explanations even if you were allowed to voice them in court. Now return with your men to the city!" the Viceroy commanded.

"And what of the Condor?"

"None of your concern!"

Cortés looked livid, but his greed and ambition were stymied by the vastly superior force controlled by Antonio de Mendoza. The Viceroy continued to watch him until he moved away with his men, then turned to regard the children with a warm smile.

"I am in your debt, young ones. If not for your aide, I have little doubt that the Marquis would heave seized this impressive device for himself. I can only imagine what he would have done with it in that event."

"Please," Esteban began, "if we have been of help to you, won't you now assist us?

Viceroy Mendoza looked at the boy closely and said, "You are asking me to let you depart, yes?" The trio nodded. "But the world is a dangerous place for such young ones as yourself."

"They will not be alone, Your Excellency," Anda said as she and Hisoka joined the conversation accompanied by the weary and dirty looking Sancho and Pedro. "These men have protected them before along with Blas de Mendoza, an excellent navigator."

"Where is this other Mendoza?" the Viceroy asked with a slight smile.

"Oh, I'm sure he will be along soon," Tao replied. "I doubt it will take him as long to find his way through the underground labyrinth as it did me."

"Very well, we will prepare to return to the Capital while you wait for your guardian."

When he had walked out of earshot, Zia queried, "But will Mendoza want to travel with us, and do we still want him too?"

"Gomez and Gaspar have his gold so I believe he will want to come with us again. Otherwise he would be going home empty handed," Tao answered with a wry smile.

"And I think you should consider the danger that faces you across the sea," Hisoka interjected gravely. "Cathay is not like the New World. I think that you will find that you need help."

"Are you offering to go with them as well?" a voice said from behind them. The children turned to see Mendoza descending the last steps of the sun temple carrying a very defeated looking Marinche. Setting her down on the last steps, he joined the group, saying, "My knowledge of the Orient is very limited, although I believe I could navigate the islands off to the Southeast if our path leads us that way."

"We can help you," Andeanna said earnestly, looking excitedly from her companion to Mendoza and the children. "We saw much of the world as we traveled back to Europe."

Hisoka appeared reserved if not also reluctant. "Are you certain you would want to travel through those lands once again? Not every experience along that road was pleasant."

"Yes, but there are good memories as well," she said anxiously, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "Please!" she whispered.

"Very well," her companion answered, his expression becoming unreadable once again as his gaze shifted to Esteban. "We will join you, if you are willing to take us along with you."

"Then let's go," the Child of the Sun said happily. Tao looked curiously at their two new comers, while Zia appeared reluctant. But Esteban didn't seem to notice this as he walked towards the Condor, and his dearest friends in the world quickly joined him.

"You're going to go! Just like that!" Gaspar bellowed moving to cut them off.

"Yes, not that it is any of your business," Tao tartly replied, stepping around the big captain to follow Esteban and Zia into the great bird.

"Leave it, Gaspar," Gomez said unexpectedly from where he sat in the growing shadows. "We have what we came for."

"Well, if you say so, Commander." There was a strange note in the old soldier's voice, but he watched calmly with Gomez as the strange group of three children and five adults each settled into the Condor. The former commander almost smiled when he heard Pedro grumble something that sounded like "Here we go again" as he joined the others.

The Viceroy and his men watched in wonder as the Condor lifted into the air, disturbing a large cloud of dust that caused the Spaniards on the ground to cough and shield their eyes.

"How will you explain the loss of that magnificent machine, Your Excellency," Gomez asked, having moved to stand next to the soldiers of the king.

Viceroy Mendoza's expression did not change as he replied, "What machine, Señor? My report will state that all of this was just the heat-induced delusion of tired men. After all," he smirked, "Who would believe it anyway?"

Gomez shook his head, bemused, and watched until the Golden Condor had disappeared into the western horizon. Returning to his loyal friend, the former commander was surprised to see a sad look on Gaspar's face. "Do you think we will ever see them again?" the captain asked wistfully.

Gomez smiled indulgently and replied, "If we continue to follow the path that leads to the cities of gold, we will undoubtedly meet the children of the sun once more."

_Our heroes intend to leave the Americas far behind them as they travel to distant lands in hopes of finding the other cities of gold. What new adventures await them? Find out in the next chapter of _The Ancient Legacy


	11. The Shores of the Western Sea

Well, I'm back. Hopefully this chapter will mark the beginning of a new era of productivity in writing for me. I am really encouraged that I was able to put this chapter together in the space of about a week while not ignoring my responsibilities as a first year teacher. I know I have been gone for a long time, but I finally feel that I have time to write again and to think about my stories.

I would like to thank Eldonyx and Rashaan Butler for reviewing this story, and for their words of encouragement. I really was beginning to wonder if anyone out there liked it because I never got comments about it the way I did for The Navigator's Tale and my other stories. It really energizes me when I get reviews whether they are positive or critical. I hope you both enjoy this chapter and will like where I take the story next. :D

Disclaimer – I own no part of MCoG, but I would totally own Mendoza if I could. :D

PS – My website has moved from mysteriouscitiesofgold . com to mysteriouscitiesofgold . org due to unfortunate circumstances. Also I will be posting the titles for the rest of the chapters of this story there in a day or so, if you want a clue as to where I am going with all of this.

**The Shores of the Western Sea**

Zia awoke with the sun in her eyes and the sounds of a fight filling the air. She sat up startled and looked around in fear. Neither Tao or Esteban were sleeping beside her any more nor could she see them in the area where they had made camp the night before. She felt quite disorientated and for a moment feared that they had been captured once again by Cortez or Gomez or another enemy.

Although they had all been exhausted from the events of the past few days, Mendoza had insisted that they keep flying until they saw the western ocean, and in the afternoon they had reached their goal. After a small meal of the leftover food that Tao and his companions had brought from the Village of the New Sun, they had all gone to sleep.

Zia stood up in the light of a bright morning and turned toward where the yells were coming from, feeling surprise fill her. Mendoza was fighting with Hisoka! What was happening? Had they been betrayed by their new companions?! A moment later, Zia saw Esteban and Tao standing not far from the fight and they looked positively delighted. They were yelling and cheering, and Zia felt more confused than ever.

Zia ran to her companions to find out what was happening, but stopped suddenly by their side when Hisoka landed a blow in Mendoza's face. The navigator fell back and then was knocked off of his feet as their new companion swept his legs out from under him. Zia gasped in horror and Tao let out a groan. From the other side of small circle of onlookers, Sancho looked devastated and Pedro wailed, "We're done for!" Esteban, however, yelled, "Don't give up, Mendoza!!"

Hisoka stepped back for a moment, and looked at his fallen opponent with a smirk on his face. "Have you had enough yet?" he asked confidently. "It is obvious that you haven't practiced in years!"

Mendoza actually smiled as he slowly got to his feet. "There aren't many in the places I have been where I could ask someone for a match. But don't worry," the navigator said, settling into a fighting stance with his fights raised and ready, "I have had plenty of real world experience!" Hisoka laughed and came at him again.

Zia looked on in confusion as the two continued to fight, throwing punches and kicks all while blocking the other's efforts. Hisoka appeared to have the advantage and pushed Mendoza farther and farther back. Suddenly the navigator seemed to stumble and fall backwards. Hisoka darted forward to finish the fight, but Mendoza wasn't through yet.

The navigator rolled smoothly onto his back and planted his foot into Hisoka's stomach, using his momentum to send the other man flying over his head. Tao stepped aside quickly to avoid the falling man, laughing now. Mendoza himself continued the backward roll and quickly was on his feet again. Pressing his advantage, the navigator planted his boot on Hisoka's chest, pushing him into the ground.

"The tables have turned, Hisoka," Mendoza said with easy confidence.

Hisoka sighed and raised his hands in surrender. "I yield, Mendoza! I had forgotten how good you were at using an opponent's force against him."

"Avoidance of an attack is sometimes better than a strong offensive," Mendoza replied as he removed his foot and offered his hand to his friend. "Responding to force with more force means that something has to break."

Esteban, Tao, Pedro and Sancho were all cheering Mendoza's victory as Hisoka was quickly pulled to his feet. Zia looked at them all incredulously and said in a confused voice, "What was all of that about?!"

"Ignore them, Zia," a slightly exasperated voice said behind her. The Inca girl turned to see Anda standing behind her with a look of amusement and annoyance on her face. The older woman motioned for her to follow her and walked back toward the Golden Condor.

Zia glanced back at her companions to see that Esteban and Tao had crowded around the two combatants to ask them about what they had seen. "You move so fast!" Tao marveled while Esteban seemed to be asking how it was all done. Zia shook her head ruefully, her fear from earlier finally fading. She didn't feel like interrupting the excitement, and so she turned to follow Anda.

A small fire burned on the beach, shaded by the huge form of the Golden Condor. Andeanna was turning some fish that was cooking on it and, as Zia reached it, the girl asked, "What was all of that about?"

"Oh boys will be boys, you know," she said dramatically in reply. Anda looked up at Zia and continued, "Mendoza was a good fighter, at least in European styles, when we met years ago, but Hisoka was easily his superior then. He became Mendoza's sifu while we were sailing back to Portugal. He wanted to know how Mendoza's skills had faired after all of these years."

"Sifu?" Zia asked curiously, as she sat down next to her new female companion.

"His sensei, his teacher," Andeanna replied. "Hisoka is a master of many of the fighting styles of the east, and one of the few people he has passed his knowledge to is Mendoza. I'm not surprised that the two of them couldn't resist a match this morning." She passed Zia a handful of small, red berries and a small bag that was filled with nuts. "We might as well eat before the wolves descend upon us."

Zia gladly accepted these and quickly ate some of the sweet berries, listening to Anda hum a strange tune. She took a fish from the fire just as the rest of their companions joined them.

"You decided not to wait for us?" Hisoka asked as he sat down by Andeanna.

"Naturally!" she replied without hesitation. "I'm not going to make the food and then not get any of it," Anda said gesturing to the rapidly vanishing fish. Hisoka hastily snatched one for himself before they were all gone. Tao and Esteban quickly followed his example then settled down next to Zia.

While Pedro and Sancho fought over whose fish was bigger, Mendoza took his share and sat between the children and their new companions. As they ate, Esteban turned to him and asked, "So what are we going to do now?"

"I'm not sure," Mendoza said in reply, closing his eyes in thought for a moment. "I never intended to cross the western sea again."

"But we can't go home now!" Pedro said angrily, pausing in his food battle with Sancho to glare at his employer. "You gave away all of our gold to Gomez and Gaspar!!"

"Not all of it," Mendoza answered easily. "I wasn't about to give away everything we had gained and what Gomez didn't know was that the share I gave to him and Gaspar was only about one third of what we possessed."

Pedro and Sancho looked slightly mollified by this, but not everyone was so forgiving. "You took gold from the city of gold?!" Esteban asked, sounding both surprised and outraged, while Zia's expression mirrored his sentiment.

"If I hadn't, you wouldn't be wearing your medallions again," the navigator responded smoothly. "There was little I could do at the Burning Shield, and I wasn't about to let the last ten years of my life be for nothing."

"And besides," Anda cut in, "you may all be very glad to have that gold in Nipon and Chin. It isn't easy to get by there without money."

"Do you really want to go west," Hisoka asked quietly. "It appears to me that you have a better chance of finding the cities of gold here than across the ocean."

"No," Tao said, shaking his head, "I don't think so. The inscriptions in the temple indicated that the feathered serpent visited the temple near Mexico City, but then flew away across the great western sea."

Hisoka looked shocked, "You could read the markings in the temple?"

"Of course," Tao said proudly. "It was easy for a descendent of Hiva!"

Hisoka's face became contemplative while Anda looked confused. "Hiva? What is that?"

Esteban and his two friends looked at each other, then the boy glanced at Mendoza. The navigator turned to examine the faces of two people he had known ten years ago, but who time may have changed.

But Zia spoke before any of the others could make up their minds. "I think we can trust both of you, but it would help if you would tell us why you were looking for Esteban and Mendoza."

It was Anda's turn to look reserved, but she agreed, "I suppose it is only fair…," she glanced up at the blue sky above, and added, "but I don't know where to begin."

Esteban looked at her eagerly and asked, "Did you know Father Rodriguez? Did you really take me to the cathedral? And what about Mendoza? Why wasn't he there? And…"

"Wait, wait!" Anda protested, looking a bit overwhelmed, "Take a breath and give me time to think! So you want to start with Barcelona?" Esteban nodded eagerly. The woman glanced at Mendoza, who seemed to be uncomfortable with this line of questioning, but he remained silent. "Very well, we will begin there."

"I told you before that we met Mendoza in Malacca more than ten years ago, and that he traveled with us back to Europe. That was also when Hisoka joined us, and the voyage around the Cape of Good Hope was fairly uneventful." Hisoka made a small sound of incredulity, while Mendoza shook his head, a hint of a smile on his face, but he remained silent.

Andeanna glared at both of them for a moment then continued, "Mendoza left the ship at Lisbon, but he sent us on to Barcelona to sell our spices. He had given my father information to find a woman who had raised him, but when we arrived in the city, we encountered an unforeseen obstacle."

At this Mendoza glanced up, a strange look on his face. It was as if he wanted to listen, but knew that it would be painful as well. Anda looked away into the fire, and went on slowly. "When we found Maria, we discovered that her entire family was desperately ill. She wasn't sick then, but she didn't want to have Esteban with her for fear that he would contract the fever." She looked at the boy and smiled sadly, "I have rarely met someone as kind as Father Rodriguez and he promised Maria and my father that he would take care of you until it was alright for you to live with her."

"But I never left to the cathedral," Esteban stated, his words falling in the heavy silence. The rest of the group shifted uncomfortably, but no one spoke.

"Your father was anxious to go back to the east, I take it," Mendoza said suddenly, his voice rough and brisk.

Anda started and tried to regain her focus. "Yes. Hisoka had told us that he had been to Nipon and my father was anxious to establish trade relations with the people there."

"Nipon?" Esteban asked confused.

"Did you ever read the account of Marco Polo's journey to Cathay?"

"Yes," Esteban answered eagerly. "Father Rodriguez let me read the copy in the library at the cathedral. I used to imagine traveling to those strange lands."

Anda nodded with equal enthusiasm. "Fascinating, wasn't it?! Nipon is the proper name for the land that he called Cinpangu. Now not everything there is as he described, but then again we never went into the heart of Chin, or Cathy as Polo called it, so I cannot gage his description of the imperial city. They do not welcome foreigners, but we walked much of the old Silk Road in order to return to Europe and it was …"

"Wait," Tao interrupted, "if your father was the captain of a ship, why didn't you sail back to Europe?"

Anda's face went from excitement to sadness in a moment and she did not answer immediately. Instead Hisoka continued, "Because we did not reach Nipon safely. We were attacked by the Wako, fierce pirates who hunt in those waters, not long before we would have arrived on shore. It was all I could do to convince them to spare Anda and her father."

"Yes," Anda said hollowly. "And that took some time."

Her voice trailed away again and Hisoka continued, "By the time we were freed, our crew had all either been killed or had disappeared. We stayed for some time in a village where I had friends, but Captain Camões was broken by these events. We stayed some years in Nipon, but his health never improved. Finally he wanted to travel back to Europe although he knew the journey would take his life."

"We came back just over a year ago," Andeanna finished. The knuckles of her hand were turning white she was gripping her knees so hard, and her eyes glistened slightly as she turned to look at Esteban and then Mendoza. "Then Hisoka and I decided to come to the New World in hopes of finding both you."

"The New World is vast and the chances of finding us were slim," Mendoza said, closing his eyes and folding his arms across his chest. "I am surprised you would attempt such a feat."

"We had some clues to help us," Andeanna said, looking more composed. "We tried to find you in Barcelona, but learned that Esteban had disappeared from the city the day that a ship had set sail for the lands that Pizarro had conquered in the New World. We couldn't find a ship that would take us there, but we were able to come to New Spain and from there we believed that we could travel the rest of the way on our own. There was nothing for us in Europe, and at least here we had a chance of finding answers if we saw the two of you again."

"What answers are you searching for?" Zia asked.

Anda twisted slightly and reached into a pouch on her belt. "Answers such as why Esteban's medallion is on this piece of paper." She unrolled a small scroll and everyone stared at the image and the writing on it.

Tao let out a yelp and snatched it away from her, looking at it intently. "Where did you get this?!" he asked in an excited voice.

"I found it in a shrine in Sakanacho, the village we lived in while we were in Nipon," Andeanna responded, her excitement mirroring the Hivan boy's. "Do you recognize these characters?!"

Everyone crowded around Tao as he examined the paper. "This is the writing of the people of Hiva!" he exclaimed.

"Do you mean like the writing in the manuscripts?" Zia asked him.

"No," Tao responded, never taking his eyes from the paper. "This is different, but in some respects it is closer to the writing in my encyclopedia than was in the manuscripts or even in the Temple of the Feathered Serpent."

"Amazing," Anda marveled. "No one in Sakanacho could tell me about the writing, but the priestess said that the symbol was related to an ancient legend of a dragon and the sun." All the faces around her looked surprised and eager to learn more.

"Can you tell us what the message says, Tao?" Esteban queried.

"'We will be waiting for you, in this place where you belong'," he replied simply.

For a moment there was silence, then Pedro snorted, "What does that mean?!"

"How should I know," Tao answered with some heat. "I can only translate what it said, not divine its meaning."

"You didn't find out anything more about this paper when you were in Nipon?" Mendoza asked Andeanna.

She looked back at him, slightly annoyed. "I had other things on my mind, including my father's illness. To be honest, I thought the paper was interesting and kept it, but didn't think of it again until we were traveling back to Europe."

"Was the note all you found?" Tao asked.

Anda hesitated a moment. "No," she finally admitted, her companions staring at her expectantly. "I also found this," and she pulled a small, thin cylinder from the pouch that had held the scroll.

"Oh," Esteban exclaimed. "What is that?"

"I don't know," the woman responded, "but look at the strange markings on the barrel. Do they mean anything to you?"

Tao looked at it for a moment, but shook his head. "That isn't writing. I don't know what it means."

Mendoza sat back looking at the strange items that now lay before them, thinking. "All of these clues seem to be pointing across the Western Sea. The Temple inscription, the golden sphere, and now these clues."

Esteban nodded. "I think that the next city of gold must be across the ocean, somewhere in the lands of the Orient."

Zia looked to the trio of Spaniards, each with a different expression on his face. Mendoza appeared reserved, but hopeful. Sancho looked slightly afraid, but also excited while Pedro seemed a bit annoyed. "And what about you?" she asked. "You still have your gold. Are you going to return to Spain?"

Pedro answered first, "I don't know why we should risk our necks when we have gold already," he said hotly. "What is left of the gold should be mi…I mean Sancho's and mine!"

"That is true," Mendoza replied coolly, shrugging and then sitting back with his eyes closed. "By rights I gave my share of the gold to Gomez and Gaspar in return for the medallions, and so I think it is only right that you do not share in any of the treasure."

Pedro and Sancho looked startled, both of them sitting up straight. "What do you mean?!" Pedro asked. "W-w-what treasure?" Sancho stuttered.

Mendoza opened his eyes and looked at his companions. "Don't you see? Already we are on the trail of another city of gold, and instead of going home with enough gold to live well, we could return home like kings!"

Tao almost smiled seeing the effect that these words had on the two sailors. Both appeared apprehensive and affronted at the same time. It was interesting to watch the navigator manipulate the ideas of his two hirelings.

"B-b-but we al-already found the city, and-and that took a whole y-y-year!" Sancho put in.

"True, but just think," Mendoza said leaning forward eagerly, "I spent ten years tracing the first city of gold before I was finally able to see it, but now another is already within our grasp." A disappointed note entered his voice as he continued, "But if you wish to transverse the vast lands between here and Mexico City _on foot_, face Cortes again, pay the king's fifth, give the viceroy his share, not to mention the audencia, before finally being able to sail back to Spain, be my guests! But," he fixed them with a hard look, "you'll travel alone. _I_ plan to go on and then go home as rich as Midas himself!"

Zia and Esteban both looked disgruntled by this talk of treasure, but Tao and Anda were swallowing smiles as Pedro and Sancho looked at their employer incredulously, then turned to look at each other, completely dumbfounded. One could almost see the wheels turning in their minds as they processed all the navigator had said. Suddenly, as if they shared some of the same brain matter, the two nodded at each other and then looked back at Mendoza.

"Well, if you really think that we will have more gold soon then we will continue to help you!" Pedro said firmly.

"I am overjoyed beyond words," Mendoza replied with only a trace of sarcasm.

"You may be very glad that you have that gold before long," Anda told them seriously. "As I said before, traveling through Nipon and Chin can be very expensive. Especially in Chin because they do not welcome strangers readily, but gold can smooth the road a bit."

Pedro and Sancho did not look happy with this notion, but Mendoza appeared more thoughtful. His eyes traveled to the one member of their group who had remained completely quiet during this whole exchange. "What about you, Hisoka?" the navigator asked. "What do you think, my friend?"

Hisoka's face was smooth and impassive, and he shrugged at Mendoza's questions. "I am not as eager as Andeanna to travel through the east again," he said. "I prefer to explore this land. For all you know there may be cities of gold still here, since you have apparently already discovered one. But if you truly desire my assistance, I will go to the Orient again."

Anda looked pleased at these words, but her companion went on again before anyone else could speak. "Be that as it may, I would like to know more about your stories." He looked at the sun that was already nearing midday. "I do not believe it would be wise to try to cross the Western Sea today. That ocean is so vast that we will need every moment of sun to cross it, if that bird of your does indeed take in its light for energy." Hisoka looked back at Esteban. "Why not spend it telling tales?"

"Yes," the boy answered enthusiastically. "I still have so many questions for the both of you." He looked eagerly around at his friends until his eyes fell upon the navigator, who smiled and nodded his head.

"Very well," Mendoza said. "Where shall we begin?"

-----

The rest of the morning was spent talking about the many adventures that the three children and their adult companions had shared during their quest for the first city of gold. Esteban talked about his years of living with Father Rodriguez before Mendoza came and told him about his father, and how he had decided to join the expedition bound for the New Continent.

He and Tao laughed about how they had met while Zia shook her head at them both before continuing on with the story of her return to her homeland after five years of captivity. Pedro and Sancho frequently chimed in with details about the many times they had rescued the children from danger before Mendoza sent them away to find something for the group's midday meal.

Then the navigator took up the tale and, as they ate a lunch of roasted fowls the two bumbling sailors had managed to catch, spoke of the wonders of the High Peak and the city where they had discovered the Golden Condor. Esteban jumped in to tell the two new travelers about the fantastic things they had discovered while flying in the Golden Condor, including the Nazca Plateau, the city of the Amazons, and the first of the ruined cities.

Tao, at that point, took over the story, speaking in great detail about manuscripts that had led them to the other ruined cities. All of which occurred, Mendoza reminded him, while they were being pursued by the Doctor and Marinche, until they finally came to the mountain of the Burning Shield.

Hisoka and Anda were astonished by their descriptions of the hidden, underground world of the Olmecs, cringing at the children's words of the strange experiments their captors had planned for them. Esteban explained how Mendoza had rescued them and they had all fled to the Village of the New Sun.

The tale then took a sad turn as Zia spoke slowly of finding her father only to lose him later that same night, and yet her determination to tell about the heroic efforts of the Mayan tribes to free themselves from tyranny kept her composed. Tao and Esteban spoke about the terrible flying machine of the Olmecs and how they had jumped aboard it to save Zia.

It was well into the afternoon when Esteban told Hisoka and Anda of discovering the gates of the first city of gold and meeting the High Priest who had guided them through the history of the Hiva and Atlantis. He also talked with a shiver about how he and Zia had been forced to choose between the well being of their friend and the safety of the world, and choosing to open the doors of the first city of gold for Kalmec.

In awe Mendoza talked about the splendor of the city before telling of the desperate struggle to keep the Great Treasure from falling into the hands of Menator. Anda clapped a hand to her mouth when she heard about how the High Priest had been wounded before the city of gold itself defended against the intrusion of the Olmecs. In somber tones Esteban finished the long story explaining how the High Priest had sacrificed himself in order to save the entire world.

Sadness and admiration was on his face as he finished, "And the rest you know."

"Incredible," Hisoka said, putting his head in his hands, trying to fathom all that he had heard. Anda was similarly affected, but asked Esteban, "And the High Priest didn't know anything more about what happened to your father?"

"No," Esteban said sadly. "But maybe," he added brightening a bit, "I will learn more as we look for the next city of gold."

Mendoza stood and stretched quickly. "I need a rest," he said before he walked away.

The rest of the group followed his example, breaking into smaller groups and wandering away in the general direction of the beach. Esteban and Zia eagerly explored the strange life in the tide pools, while Hisoka put a net he had made while listening to the long story to good use in catching more fish for their supper.

As they settled around the cooking fire at sunset, Tao pulled out the golden sphere they had discovered in the Winged Serpent Temple and looked at it intently. "Have you figured anything out about our new treasure, Tao?" Mendoza asked, settling down to the right of the boy.

The descendent of Hiva shook his head, not bothering to look up. "I still can't make heads or tails of it, and yet these lines seem frustratingly familiar in a way. There is no writing on it, but it must have something to do with the Golden Condor. Here take a look at it yourself," he added, handing the ball to the navigator. He then took a large bite out of a fish that he pulled from the fire.

Mendoza looked at the golden sphere with interest that went beyond just in the treasure of the metal. "Yes, I can see what you mean," he agreed looking it over. "These lines certainly have a purpose if we could simply fathom what that is."

Esteban and Zia had just returned from their explorations to overhear these comments, and the boy looked over Mendoza's shoulder at the object. "I don't know," he said seriously, "it may be just a fancy, but it reminds me of a map that I saw once in the Cathedral library."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Tao chided him. "Mendoza would certainly recognize a map."

Esteban gave his friend a cross look, but wasn't ready to give up his argument yet. "No, I remember that map well. A wealthy merchant gave it to Father Rodriguez because he knew that he was interested in the New World, and see here," his fingers traced over two sets of curved lines, "these lines remind me of the coast of Africa and the New Continent. See how they sort of fit together?"

Mendoza looked at where Esteban was pointing in astonishment. "Yes, I can see what you mean," he said incredulously. "It does bare a resemblance to those shorelines, but they are wrong somehow. See up here?" He pointed to an oval above the Africa-shaped lines. "This should be the Mediterranean Sea with Spain at its eastern most passage, but this looks like a lake."

Tao let out with a yelp of surprise and jumped to his feet to look at where they were pointing. "Of course! Esteban you are a genius!" His friend looked both startled and pleased at this declaration, but he was quickly pushed aside as Tao took the sphere again.

He examined it for a few moments before turning to look at them. "It looks strange to us because this globe shows the world as it was before the empires of Hiva and Atlantis were destroyed. Look at this," he pointed to a bumpy, irregular shape. "That is the continent of Atlantis and this over here, " Tao turned the ball in his hands, "must be Hiva."

By this point, the rest of their companions were staring at where Tao was pointing in astonishment. "But why would the Hiva people leave us a globe with no details on it to guide us?" Mendoza asked. "I see no cities, no distinctive features, nothing that could help us to find the other cities of gold."

"I wonder," Tao said under his breath, then he abruptly turned and walked over to where the Golden Condor towered. The rest of his friends quickly followed him there and then into the cabin of the great bird.

The interior was still strangely shifted, with the rear bench recessed deep into the chest of the bird with two smaller seats replacing it. This left an aisle through which the boy walked and then stood looking around at the walls of the Condor's interior. There were two large squares of black glass on either side of him, and a small. low pedestal lay between them. He placed the golden globe on it and it rested comfortably in its concave surface.

"I think that it is meant to go here," he told his companions, "but unfortunately we won't know what it does until the sun comes up tomorrow."

"Well, we will have to leave it there then tonight Tao, and see about it in the morning before we leave," Zia put in.

"Yes, I can't wait to find out what new surprise lies in store for us," he replied with a grin. "The treasures of the people of Hiva never disappoint!"

"Until dawn then," Mendoza said looking eager. And with a few final looks of anticipation at the globe, the eight travelers returned to their meal. Morning would come soon enough.

-----

It was well before dawn when the curious group of three children, four men, and one woman awoke and readied to depart from the New World. Esteban was excited and yet a little sad to be leaving the lands and the people that he had come to love. As the first rays of the sun peeped over the eastern horizon he stood in front of the controls of the Condor looking out at the still shadowed lands around him.

A hand lightly touched his hand and he glanced to his side to see Zia smiling at him. "Don't worry," she said confidently, "we will come back some day!"

He nodded and looked to his other side to find that Tao wasn't in his seat. Twisting around he saw his friend standing back by the pedestal that still held the golden sphere. Mendoza and Hisoka sat to either side of him, also watching the ball expectantly while Anda sat on the bench far in the back of the Condor with Sancho and Pedro, looking as if she wasn't quite sure how she got there.

As soon as the sun had cleared the eastern horizon, Esteban placed the sun disk into its place and immediately heard a sound of shock behind him. Turning quickly he saw the pedestal that held the golden globe raise slightly, but the real surprise was the ball itself. It floated above the place where it had rested, seemingly on a pillar of pale blue light.

He and Zia moved closer as Tao let out a delighted laugh, exclaiming, "Didn't I tell you! It's fantabulous!!"

"But what does it do?" Zia asked curious.

"Oh my!" Mendoza gasped looking at the black wall panels on the sides of the Condor. The children also gaped in astonishment at what they saw. Displayed on the glass panels were clearly maps of the surrounding area, though it looked as it must have back when the Hivan cartographers had seen it. "This is incredible," Mendoza said. "These charts could guide us to other lost cities or treasures of Hiva!"

"Yes," Tao agreed, "and who knows? This sphere may have other powers too."

They continued to look at the floating globe and the strange maps it created until at last Hisoka brought them back to the present. "I think that it is time to leave. We will have more time to explore this mystery after we cross the ocean."

"You're right," Esteban agreed, tearing his eyes away from the strange sight. We moved to sit down in his chair, and Zia and Tao took their places as well. Taking the control stick in his hands, the child of the sun asked his friends, "Zia and Tao, are you ready?"

They nodded eagerly, and with that Esteban pulled back the controls and the Condor lifted off into the sky taking them to their next adventure.

_As our heroes leave behind the Americas and travel to the Far East, what new adventures will they find? In the next chapter of The Ancient Legacy, Esteban and his friends find themselves in a land full of wonders and secrets concerning the Empire of Hiva, some of which will change one member of their group forever. Coming Soon – Chapter 12: Paradise._


	12. Paradise

**Paradise**

Mendoza sat on the rear bench of the Golden Condor gazing at a spot on the sphere of gold as it hovered above its pedestal. It had not been long after he had exchanged his seat with Andeanna that he had noticed the small dot of red on the sphere's surface.

The navigator had volunteered to move when it became apparent that the young woman did not like to fly. In fact, it made her very sick. He didn't understood how Anda could sail on a ship and not get seasick, but flying made her nauseous, but he wasn't willing to risk the consequences with day's worth of flying before them. Being able to see out of the Condor seemed to help her, and so Mendoza had offered his.

This change had afforded him the opportunity to study the ingenious Hivan device more closely, and he had quickly determined that the small red dot must signify the location of the Golden Condor. The precision of this globe to track the exact location the flying machine was amazing to him. Mendoza had seen many amazing devices during the time that he had searched with Esteban for the cities of gold, but none of them had been so applicable to his chosen profession. This device calculated not only latitude, but also longitude perfectly. He could only imagine what his first teacher, Magellan, would have thought of this. He could almost hear his mentor say, "Splendid, Mendoza, but now you must use this knowledge to make new discoveries!" The navigator let this wave of nostalgia wash over him for a moment, his eyes following the route that he had once taken around the world so many years before. And now it seemed likely that he would eventually circumnavigate the world again.

As he continued to monitor the progress of the Condor, Mendoza eventually discovered something disturbing and, as the day wore on, alarming. The great bird of the Hivan people was crossing the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean quickly, but not quickly enough. Based on his reckoning, the Condor would only have spanned about three fourths of the ocean by the time the sun went down. There was only one possible hope of surviving this flight and he was going to need help to realize it.

Mendoza stood and walked towards the front of the cabin, pausing a moment to talk to Anda. "Are you feeling better," he asked.

She nodded weakly, saying, "It is better when I can see outside".

"Why don't you take Tao's place for a while and see if that helps even more."

Tao glanced back at the navigator at this and saw him motion his head towards the rear of the Condor. "Why not?" the boy said, standing and stretching for a moment. "I would like to move around for a bit."

"Don't be too long," Esteban said, a note of pleading in his voice. "I may need one of you to take over for a while. I have never had to fly for so long without a break!"

"Sure, don't worry," Tao replied then he turned to follow Mendoza back to the golden sphere. "What do you want, Mendoza?"

"Look," the navigator said pointing. "We are making good time in crossing the Pacific, but it won't be enough."

Tao watched the dot that represented the Condor for a few minutes, a frown growing on his face as he did so. "What are we going to do? Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes," Mendoza replied, "I have been thinking about how this device would be used by the people of Hiva. As it is now, it is useful to see a detailed map of the terrain we are crossing, but that is a very limited use for the Condor. We could do as much by scanning the land below us with our own eyes just as we have done until now. But what if…"

"It can do more," Tao completed the navigator's thought.

Mendoza nodded. "That is what I need your help with, Tao. You obviously understand this science more than any of the rest of us. What I need, or rather what we all need, is a way to search the path ahead of us for any land where we could land the Condor over night and then complete our flight to the Orient tomorrow."

Tao was already examining the golden orb with renewed interest, gauging its possibilities. Suddenly, with a look of intense curiosity, he reached out with a hand to touch the sphere. "Ahhh!!" His yelp brought concerned looks from the rest of the Condor's occupants. Shaking his hand furiously, he said through his pain, "Well I can now tell everyone to not touch the golden sphere while it is being used. It hurts like a burn. But I am all right," he reassured his two friends in the front of the flying machine.

As the others turned back to what they were doing, Hisoka moved to help the boy. "I will prepare something to that the sting away if you want, Tao."

"No, I really am fine," the boy insisted, "it just really caught me off guard."

The foreigner nodded, but did not return to his place. Instead he said to Tao and Mendoza, "I heard your conversation and I have a suggestion." He pointed to the two panels on either side of the walls. "The way you have described the people of Hiva and their technology it made me wonder about these two devices. Wouldn't it make more sense to only have one or to have them display different information?"

"That's it!" Tao said excitedly. "I can't believe I didn't see it before." He looked at both panels in turn. "This one, I think," the boy muttered, talking more to himself than to the adults around him. He turned to the panel on his right and reached out with his non-injured hand to touch it. He let out a cry of delight as several symbols appeared on the screen.

Mendoza joined him, his excitement mirroring the Hivan boy's. "What does it say, Tao?"

"These symbols are controls of some sort for operating the navigation system."

"Can you have it look ahead of us for an island or land mass?" the navigator queried.

"I think so," Tao said, his fingers moving over the glass panels. As he did so the image shifted, but continued to show only ocean.

"Can you make the area that is displayed larger?" Mendoza asked. Instead of responding, Tao moved his hand again and the image shifted again. A larger patch of water was visible, but still there was nothing to see. "Keep going, Tao."

The boy continued to make the image area bigger until suddenly two things appeared on the screen that caused both the descendent of Hiva and the navigator to cry out in surprise and delight. "Am I right in thinking that this is the coast of the New Continent?" Tao asked.

"Yes, I think so," Mendoza replied. "Unless I am very much mistaken we took off from this area this morning, but look here." He moved his hand over a much larger tract of land that extended to the north of the place that they had departed from. "Look at how vast the New World truly is," he said in awe.

Tao laughed and said, "I am sure we will have time to explore that land some day, but I am more interested in this." His hand moved to a tiny spot on the panel that looked like a small circle.

"What is that, Tao?"

"This is a symbol for the Empire of Hiva itself, and see what it marks?" Moving his hand again, the boy focused the image in on that spot and quickly a series of small islands grew to cover most of the screen.

"Heaven be praised! An island!!" the navigator said with obvious relief, and yet his face was veiled in concern a moment later. "Didn't you say, Tao, that the continent of Hiva was sunk beneath the ocean waves? Can we be sure that this island is still there?"

"There is no way to be certain until we get there, but I think it will be fine," he said confidently. "This island is far north of the continent of Hiva and likely was merely an outpost during the Great War, just as my islands were."

"Let us hope that you are right," Hisoka said seriously. "If we turned back now, we could find another way to cross the Pacific. I heard a theory while Anda and I were on Hispañola that the New World may only be separated from the edge of the East by a small channel. There may even be a land bridge between the two. Wouldn't it be safer to turn back and try following the coast of the continent to the north?"

Tao shook his head in vigorous disagreement, his voice rising with his emotions. "We have already come this far, and this island will be waiting for us when we are ready to land, I promise you."

"Wait, Tao," Hisoka said, "you can't know that for certain. Everyone on board needs to take part in this decision."

All the travelers gathered into the front of the Golden Condor and listened as Tao and Mendoza explained the situation to them. Pedro and Sancho quickly joined Hisoka's side and cast their votes to turn back to the Americas.

"Cowards!" Tao accused. "We are so close to finding out more secrets about Hiva and the cities of gold. Don't you see?! These islands are marked with the emblem of the Hivan Empire. We must know more about them!"

"I agree with Tao," Esteban said. "We have been set on this path for a reason and we must learn about these mysterious islands."

"Yes," Zia added, looking at the sailors in exasperation. "The Golden Condor will take care of us."

"The way you talk about this mechanical bird you would think it was alive!" Hisoka retorted calmly. "What do you have to say about this, Mendoza?"

The navigator shook his head at his old friend. "You don't understand the Condor as these children do, Hisoka, but I think that they are right in this matter. If these islands are indeed outposts like Tao's was, then I believe that we will be safe."

"Then it is settled," Esteban said determinedly.

"Wait," Hisoka said. "There is still one of us that hasn't given an opinion." He looked to the seat where Andeanna sat perfectly still.

The woman straightened, a bit startled. "I don't know. It does seem the wiser and safer choice to go back to New Spain."

"Oh please," Zia appealed, turning to look at her. "You must trust us. We would never have made it as far in our journey if we had not been willing to trust the ancient wisdom of Hiva and the wonderful devices that they left for us to find."

Tao and Esteban also nodded, the child of the sun adding, "Please!"

Anda looked at the children for a moment before shifting her gaze first to Mendoza and then to Hisoka. She smiled slightly, then commented, "But if we wanted to be safe and wise, we all would have remained in Europe or your Village of the New Sun where we could live in peace. We are all here because we are looking for something that is worth risking our lives for." She looked at Esteban again and said, "I think we should go on as well."

"Wonderful," Tao yelled, shaking the woman by the hand before dropping it quickly with a laugh. "Then it is decided! We will go on!!"

"Yes," Esteban agreed, although he looked uncomfortable. "But could you take over for a while? I really need to walk around for a bit. My legs feels as if they were on pins and needles."

Tao laughed again. "I think I can manage not to crash for a while." They carefully changed places and as the descendent of Hiva settled in behind the controls, he looked at Mendoza. "Care to plot our course to the Last Outpost of Hiva?"

Mendoza leaned over him and Zia, to gaze at the sun and the sea for a moment. "Steer a little to the right, Tao." The boy followed his instructions and a short time later the navigator instructed him to again fly strait to the west. "There," he said with satisfaction, "that will put us on a direct course for the largest of that chain of islands. We should be there in about three or four hours."

"If it is indeed there," Hisoka commented quietly, moving to sit back on the bench in the rear of the Condor.

Hours passed slowly, each of the passengers doing their best to keep spirits up by telling stories or by chatting about what the Far East was like, anything but the reality of their current situation. After three hours had elapsed those sitting in the rear of the Condor began to move forward to scan the horizon anxiously. Talk finally died away as tensions slowly increased.

The only one who did not move from his seat was Mendoza, who kept a close eye on the small dot that moved ever closer to where the islands must be if they still existed above the waves. Occasionally his glance would stray to the display panel in front of him that showed the large island that was their target. After he had helped Tao make the course correction that put them on a path that would lead to the island, a thin dotted line had appeared on this screen. Tao had been very impressed with his skill in navigation, saying, "I knew that you were a very good navigator, but you really are great!"

Mendoza wished he could take more comfort from the words of the boy, but it would matter very little if they all died at the end of the day, plummeting into the vast sea below. And so he continued his vigil, waiting for a sign with equal parts dread and hope.

Suddenly, a small symbol that looked like a miniature condor appeared on the far panel. With a deep breath, Mendoza stood and walked to the front of the condor. "We should be seeing the islands coming into view any moment now. Esteban," the navigator said to the boy who had resumed his place at the controls some time ago, "take us a bit lower so that we will be able to see any bit of solid ground no matter how small."

Esteban nodded and pushed on the cobra that controlled the movements of the great bird. Pedro, Sancho, and Hisoka, having heard this pronouncement, also moved forward so that everyone was crowded into the front of the condor. Every eye anxiously scanned the horizon, searching for any refuge from the ocean below. Every moment that passed grated on the nerves of the travelers, making them question their choices.

Just when it seemed too terrible to go on, Zia exclaimed joyfully, "There! What is that over there?!"

All of them shifted their gaze to where she was pointing with renewed hope and excitement. On the horizon, and growing in size every moment, was a distant drop of green in the sea of deep blue.

The adults breathed a collective sigh of relief while Tao exclaimed with a wide smile, "Didn't we tell you that you could trust the knowledge of the people of Hiva?!"

"We are all grateful to your ancestors, Tao," Hisoka said graciously. "Let's just hope that they will continue to guide us in the future."

The boy nodded proudly, already examining the green dot that was growing into a very large and lush island. "Where shall we land?"

"We have plenty of time before sunset. Why don't we fly around for a while and find a good place," Esteban said, bringing the Condor around in a wide arch around the coast. "We might also find some sign of the Hiva civilization."

No sooner had he said this than the controls of the Condor jumped abruptly in his hands. "Oh no!" the boy exclaimed, fighting to keep the bird on course. "The Condor is not responding to its controls again!!"

"Wait, Esteban!" Mendoza said calmly. "There is no point in fighting against it. Let's just see where it will take us."

Reluctantly, Esteban took his hands from the cobra and sat back, letting the Golden Condor fly itself in a wide circuit around the island. The bird's occupants watched in amazement as they were taken almost completely around the perimeter of the large island.

"Look over there," Pedro said pointing. "I think there is at least one more island to the east."

"But the Condor seems to following a course that will take us to a place on this island," Zia commented. "Have you ever seen such a green and beautiful place?" she continued rapturously.

"Yes, but this island has another side to it," Hisoka said in a more serious tone. "Look over there." He pointed to a dark place on the island. "Unless I am mistaken that is a very large lava flow over there. This island is a volcano."

The others looked at the bright red lava that was oozing into the blue water below causing clouds of steam to rise into the air. "I hope the Condor doesn't land us there!" Pedro said worriedly.

Zia looked past the black and red flows at the island beyond. "I wonder if people still live here," she said with concern.

"I think we are about to find out," Tao assured her. "The Condor is getting lower and lower."

"You're right, Tao," Esteban exclaimed. "Look there ahead of us!" On outcropping of land not far distant from where the lava flowed into the sea was a small rectangle that proved, as they came closer, to be a very large raised platform made of stone and earth.

Moments later the Condor touched down on this dais with precision. Everyone, including the children, breathed a sigh of relief to be safely on land after their long flight and lack of control during their approach.

Esteban sat for a moment in complete stillness, then pulled the sun disk from its place on the control panel. "Shall we stretch our legs a bit," he said eagerly, looking around at his companions.

"Yes!" Tao and Zia responded immediately.

"But," Mendoza cautioned, "be careful everyone. We don't know what awaits us here."

Moments later they were all getting use to standing on solid ground again and taking in the scenery around them. The platform on which the Condor rested as a stone's throw away from a pristine beach with strange black sand that met water whose color was a deep and startling aqua.

Anda sank to the ground and let the sand run through her hands. "I have never been so glad to be back on land! I don't mean to give offense, Esteban, but I doubt I will ever like traveling in your Condor!"

Esteban looked slightly irritated, but was distracted by a movement in the trees near the shore. "Mendoza!" he called out, moving closer to Zia and Tao.

The Spaniard quickly moved to place himself between the children and whatever was coming toward them, and Hisoka moved to his side.

Their hands dropped away from their swords, however, when they saw three people leave the cover of the trees. The first was a young man, who appeared to be a few years older than Tao or Esteban. The second was an elderly man whose hair was white, but his back was strait and he walked with a steady grace. The third was a beautiful young girl about the age of the children. Both of the young people wore necklaces that seemed to be made out of yellow and orange flowers.

The two groups stood staring at each other for a few moments, then the old man stepped forward, his gaze traveling over the disparate group of travelers. Finally his eyes fell on the two men in front and he addressed them. "Are you messengers from our ancestor gods across the sea?"

"Yes," Mendoza answered smoothly, spreading his arm, palms open, to show that he was not a threat. "We have come from the great continents east of this island and wish to enjoy the peace and beauty of this fair island for a time."

The old man's eyes continued to wander as Mendoza spoke until he caught sight of Kokapedl, who was perched as usual on Tao's shoulder. The old man was visibly startled and beckoned the boy to come towards him. Tao looked a bit reluctant, but moved a little closer to the three islanders.

"Tell me, young lord, what is the name of your beautiful bird?" the old man said, with a strange reverence in his voice.

Tao looked perplexed and glanced at his pet before responding, "His name is Kokapedl."

"And has he been with you for some time?"

"Yes," the boy responded, "my father told me that it was my responsibility to take care of him when I turned seven."

The old man nodded, looking strangely pleased. "Please travelers, come with us back to our village. You will be treated as honored guests among us."

"We are grateful for your generous hospitality," Mendoza replied bowing.

Esteban looked at Tao as the trio of natives moved to walk back into the trees. "What was that about?" he asked his friend.

"I have no idea," the other boy replied, his eyes following the islanders.

With that, the travelers followed their hosts into the tropical forest of the island.

Tao looked around him in the fading light of the sun with a distinct feeling of irritation. The old priest they had met, Kahuna, had taken them all back to the village he served and brought them before the chief, Ali'imalu, who was also an elderly man. Chief Ali'imalu also seemed strangely interested in Tao and his pet, Kokapedl. Yet before he could ask any questions of his own, Tao and his friends had quickly been ushered away to prepare for a great feast that would be held in their honor.

Although it had alarmed them when Zia and Andeanna had been separated from them, the young man they had met with the priest, Ali'ikai, had told them not to worry. For the people of the island it seemed that it was forbidden for men and women to eat with each other. Mendoza had advised them all not to make a scene about this, and Esteban had spent the rest of the meal worrying about Zia. Yet when the two females finally returned not only unharmed, but laughing with the young girl they had met, Noelani, he relaxed and began to enjoy the sights and sounds around them.

Tao, on the other hand, was still nervous about the whole situation. Why had he been placed at the head of feast in a position of great honor? He had been seated next to Ali'ikai, who was the son of the chief's eldest living son, just a place away from the chief himself and his principle nobles and advisors. Although Esteban and the rest of his companions followed after him, it still bothered Tao that he was placed before Mendoza or Hisoka, who were clearly his betters in terms of strength and age. When he had tried to ask Ali'ikai about this, the other boy had said, "I think that you should wait until after we have finished our meal for the time of stories to ask these questions."

And so Tao had waited, his sense of unease and irritation growing as he watched what seemed to be the entire village gather together in beautiful clearing on a hill. From this vantage point, Tao could look down the rolling hills to the sea some miles beyond. Finally he turned to Esteban and demanded, "What do you think this all means?"

His friend looked well fed and a bit sleepy, answering with a yawn, "I don't know, Tao. But everyone here has been so nice to us that I think we are safe."

Before Tao could respond to this, the old priest stood and the people of the village fell silent. "People of Hilo, the gods have once again sent us their messengers from far distant lands. To honor them, our hula will tell of the last time we were visited by the ancestor gods from across the sea, fifteen years ago."

This brought even Esteban out of his stupor, curious about who else might have come to these islands before them. As they watched, several lovely women dressed in red moved into view and, with drums and chanting accompanying them, they began to dance.

Tao watched and listened trying to understand what he was seeing. Finally he leaned closer to Ali'ikai and said, "I don't understand. What does all of this mean?"

The other boy whispered back, "In the hula, the dancing and chanting you see here, we record the important events of our history. This hula is telling of a man who came from far across the sea. He was Kahawai, the stream who bore the blood of our ancient ancestors, the gods who dwelled far across the sea. He lived with our people for time, learning from our wise men and teaching the people, and they called him Ka'ike'apona, the one who embraces knowledge."

Tao became suddenly quiet at these words, a strange look upon his face. Not noticing, Ali'ikai continued, "And Ka'ike'apona came to love the daughter of the chief, and her name was…"

"Haulani!" Tao said, his voice ringing clearly through the suddenly still evening air. The dance was finished and the priest Kahuna, and the old chief, Ali'imalu, looked at the Hivan boy intently.

"You have spoken the name of my beloved daughter, who left our island with Kahawai so many years ago," Chief Ali'imalu said to the young boy. "But they have returned in you, young one. Ka'eo, son of my youngest child, welcome home!"

_On this island that is connected to the Empire of Hiva, Tao has found his grandfather. What will he do when he is chosen to become the new chief of the isle of Hawaii? Find out in the next chapter of The Ancient Legacy – Tao's Choice._

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A quick note about Tao's name. Unlike many other Polynesian languages, Hawaiian doesn't include the letter t. Instead it is replaced with k. In Hawaiian, Kao means goat and I didn't particularly like this as a name for Tao and so I lengthened it a bit to Ka'eo, which means victory. Don't worry, he is still Tao, but I like to play with names.


	13. Tao's Choice

**Tao's Choice**

Esteban and Zia sat on the black sand beach watching the white foam waves rolling onto the shore. They watched as several of the local tribesmen skillfully ride the waves with long, flat boards of wood with rounded edges. Esteban, in particular, was fascinated with this display of balance and, what he could only term as, water acrobatics. He watched as a particularly adept rider sailed over the crest of a wave that was much taller than he was. The water streamed around him and he seemed every moment a heartbeat from crashing into the rushing ocean. But the rider skillfully maneuvered his board through the wave and sailed cleanly out the tumbling water. Esteban continued to watch, his mouth slightly agape wondering how he could try this water play.

They all had been very relaxed over the last two weeks, enjoying the peace and beauty of their surroundings. Tao was busy almost everyday with his grandfather learning about this new heritage that he hadn't even known existed. None of their group was willing to deny him an opportunity that many of them would have given much to have: the chance to find their family and spend time with them.

Esteban had even taken the elderly chief on an aerial tour of the island the day after they had arrived. Tao had served as copilot and they had flown not only over Hilo, but also over neighboring villages. Eventually they had flown over other islands and Chief Ali'imalu had delightedly pointed out other landmarks and communities on their shores. Tao had been so proud of the great bird of the Hiva people, and his grandfather complimented them both on learning to control such a machine. The day had ended at sunset when they returned to Hilo landing on the dais surrounded by many of the people of Hilo, amazed at the flying machine and cheering its occupants.

The rest of their company had pursued their leisure in their own manner. In the days that followed, Zia and Esteban spent the time exploring their region of the island and learning about the people of Hilo, who were curious and hospitable to the strangers who had come with their lost son.

Even Kokapedl had found a flock of birds of his same kind and Esteban and Zia often would find him where the flock roosted. They could only smiled at the blue bird's preening as he showed off his plumage to the female members of the flock.

Pedro and Sancho used much of their time trying to divide their gold, and each was sure that he was receiving less than the other. Hisoka suggested smelting the gold into ingots, but the island people did not seem to possess any metal working technology and were quite interested in the gold that the Spaniards toted around with them. This made the pair suspicious and they refused to let anyone from the village see the yellow metal. So they hid in a secluded part of the jungle, trying to measure out their shares with a crude scale they had devised. This had kept them busy, arguing, and happily fondling their treasure for days.

Hisoka and Anda disappeared for long stretches at a time, usually returning in a day or two. They were used to being on their own and didn't quite fit in company. The rest of them did not even ask what they were doing.

Mendoza was also difficult to find some days, and when Esteban had asked him about it, the navigator said that he was studying. Only later, when the boy had seen him near the Condor late one afternoon as the sun was setting, did he realize that Mendoza had meant he was learning from the golden sphere in the giant bird.

"Esteban!" a voice called, making the preoccupied youth jump. The child of the sun turned and saw the navigator himself walking toward him without his cape or his boots in the heat of the morning sun and the shifting sands of the beach. "Have either of you seen Tao today?" Mendoza asked the two children as he drew near them.

Zia replied, "He left very early this morning with Chief Ali'imalu, but he had been up almost the entire night before working on some project."

Mendoza frowned. "Do you know what it was, Zia?"

She shook her head, but said, "I think it had something to do with the village farms."

The older man nodded. "Then I will look for him there."

"We'll go with you," Esteban volunteered, throwing one last look at the water and saw that it was Tao's cousin, Ali'ikai, who he had seen riding the waves. With a friendly wave to the older boy Esteban turned and followed Mendoza, missing the dark look that Ali'ikai cast in their direction.

Mendoza and the two children walked up to the beach towards the village, the navigator pausing where the dark beach met the emerald trees to pick up his boots. They walked on until they had passed the outskirts of Hilo and were hiking into the hills above the village. Here the travelers had been shown the farming terraces during their first days on the island, and here they found Tao supervising the renovation of several irrigation ditches. He stood calling out orders and carefully checking measurements as if this leadership was what he had been born to do. Mendoza, in particular, was struck by how much the Hivan boy seemed to have grown since he had met him all those long months ago.

Esteban called out to his friend. The other boy glanced in their direction and smiled tiredly when he saw the trio walking towards him. Tao gave the foreman a few more instructions before turning to his companions. Esteban surveyed the work going on and asked, "What is this all about, Tao?"

"The village needs to expand its taro fields and the terraces need a steady supply of fresh water for the plants to grow properly. These ditches are old," Tao pointed to where a mass of men were working with stone tools, "but by carefully measuring the grade of the slope and lining the channels with stone, they will be more efficient and require less maintenance." Esteban didn't really see the difference between the various watercourses, but he trusted Tao to know what he was doing.

"Tao, we need to talk," Mendoza said. The boy nodded, but did not move. "Privately," the navigator added.

Tao sighed, obviously not liking being pulled away from his work, but he followed the older man into the shade and relative seclusion of the forest edge. He stood underneath a tall palm, his arms folded, waiting for Mendoza to say what was on his mind.

"I've been studying the charts from the golden globe, Tao, and from what I have seen I believe we need to fly to Nipon and perhaps into the heart of Chin. There are other symbols there, like the one on this island. There may be a city of gold in the heart of the continent."

Tao dug the toe of his sandal into the sand under the tree, and did not meet the eye of the navigator. "I don't know. It just may mean that Hiva had another colony in that area, not that there is a city of gold there."

"True," Mendoza admitted, "but there were similar markings near the first city of gold and the various other sites we visited in our travels. I believe we will find valuable information there. We should leave here soon."

Tao's head shot up. "No, not now," he said firmly.

"Tao," Mendoza cajoled, "we have been here for two weeks already. We have never stayed so long in one place especially when the trail was so clear."

"You forget," the boy shot back, "that I have never been interested in the cities for their gold. I am in no hurry to find the rest."

"But you are interested in knowledge, and in spite of this island's connection to your family, I have seen little evidence that there are other ties to Hiva or its heritage."

"You don't know that!" Tao argued, his voice rising. "My father wouldn't have traveled all the way here, without even the Solaris to help him in his journey, if this island wasn't important."

"Lord Ka'eo," a concerned voice behind them intoned, "is all well?"

"Yes," Tao replied coolly, his eyes still locked with Mendoza's. "My friends were just leaving." He walked away without another word.

Esteban stood aghast at the exchange that had just occurred. He had never seen his friend act so hostile toward the navigator, or at least not since he had saved Tao's life in the temple that had housed the Golden Condor. Mendoza's admiration for Hivan science had also been part of winning the boy over, and Esteban was disturbed by the sudden change in behavior.

Mendoza sighed, looking like he had expected this resistance but not the attitude that went with it. He turned without another word and strode quickly back toward the village. Esteban was torn between following him and staying with his best friend, who seemed to be more intent on his work than ever.

Zia sensed this hesitation and said, "Go with Mendoza, Esteban. I'll talk to Tao and help him to calm down. I think I understand his reluctance to leave better than Mendoza does."

Esteban felt relieved and looked at Zia with appreciation, "Thanks! You're terrific!" Then he ran after the navigator. After a few minutes he managed to catch up with the older man farther down the hill. "Mendoza!" he called.

The navigator paused and looked back over his shoulder. "What is it, Esteban?"

"Don't you think we should give Tao some more time?" the boy asked, persuading. "He didn't know this side of his family still existed and I don't blame him for wanting more time with them."

"And that's the problem, Esteban," Mendoza replied shaking his head. "I know you think I am heartless, but we really must leave here soon."

"But why?" Esteban voiced was full of confusion.

Mendoza looked around, facing the ocean clearly visible in the distance, an impossible shade of blue. "This island is too comfortable," the navigator said shortly. Esteban was about to demand what was wrong with that, when he continued, "It would be all too easy to stay here another week, another month. We certainly have earned the rest. But at what cost?" He looked back at the boy, "Something is not right. The people of Hilo are gracious and generous, but there is something else going on here as well."

"What is it?" The child of the sun was now curious.

Mendoza smiled at him tiredly. Even after all they had been through the boy was still such an innocent, willing to believe the best in everyone. The older man knew he had to tread carefully. "I won't say. I can't prove my suspicions, but we need to leave this island."

"We can't do that yet! What about Tao?" Esteban protested. "He just found his family and he…"

"I know Esteban, but it would be better if we just went about our own business and didn't interfere with these people." Mendoza saw Esteban's jaw tighten and he hurried to speak before the boy could protest further. "I suppose I will have to show you what I mean. We will talk again soon." He turned from the boy and walked away into the palm forest.

Esteban could not help but feel a touch of disquiet as he watched the navigator disappear into the trees, wondering what the man would do to convince him and Tao that it was time to leave their island sanctuary. He sat down on a large flat-topped black rock thinking, and waiting for Zia to come to join him. Above him in the sky, dark clouds gathered and a wind whipped the ocean waves with white foam.

The weather of the island remained dark and threatening for the next week, and the diminished sunlight meant that it was impossible for the Golden Condor to fly. Yet it never more than sprinkled and Tao's work on the irrigation ditches continued unimpeded. Finally the new canal was finished and the whole village gathered to watch as the clear water flowed through it, cheering the completed work.

Kahuna called the people to silence after some time. "People of Hilo! The gods seem well pleased with our efforts. Tonight there will be a luau held to honor our returned prince, Ka'eo, for his leadership in this feat. Truly he shows the wisdom of a chief many years his age." The people began to chant Tao's name and the boy was obviously pleased, but a bit embarrassed.

As the people continued to celebrate, Esteban stepped toward his friend. "Well done, Tao."

The other boy made a happy, chortling sound in his throat. "This new channel will help the village be more productive and prosperous. It was the least I could do to help them." Yet he looked and was beginning to sound very tired. The long nights of planning and the longer days of overseeing the project were catching up with him.

This was obvious to Zia. "Tao, come and rest! You won't even be able to stand tonight if you don't come and get some sleep."

"Yes, alright," the descendent of Hiva agreed with a loud yawn, and he followed his friends back to the village. As they left, they caught sight of Hisoka standing among the trees saying something to Andeanna at his side. It had been many days since any of them had seen the pair, and they did not seem to share in the crowd's enthusiasm.

Zia walked deliberately closer to them and called, "Are you coming to the feast tonight?"

Anda smiled at her and nodded. "Yes, it should prove to be a very interesting night."

Esteban didn't quite like the tone she said those words in, but by now Tao was practically falling asleep on his shoulder. They moved away, leaving their two new companions to watch the water in the channel flow into the taro fields.

Although Esteban now understood that it was taboo for women to eat with men on the islands of Hawaii, he missed Zia very much during the dinner feast that night. He would have loved to be able to talk with her, discuss the delicious meal and wonder what Mendoza was up to, for he was not present during the feast. Tao spent most of his time talking with Kahuna and his grandfather, only asking Esteban to pass the sweet potatoes. Hisoka also sat by them, but he was never much for conversation and Esteban felt like his silent companion was watching everyone and everything with more attention than was usual this night.

Finally the food was taken away and everyone wandered outside the hut into the warm night air. Esteban craned his neck, looking for a certain dark head. He soon spotted Zia walking towards the village center followed by Anda. "Zia!" he called.

"Ah, Esteban!" she seemed as pleased to see him as he was to see her.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward where a crowd was forming to watch the hula for the celebration. He hoped that Zia would join the dance again tonight. The other village girls had shown her some simple motions and he could not help but be entranced by it. Yet Zia was very shy and did not like to have so many people watching her.

Just as they arrived at the front of the throng, the drums ceased to beat and Chief Ali'imalu stood, his hand raised for silence. The children looked to him in surprise, for the chief of the village had not spoken at a gathering since the first night when they had been welcomed to the island.

"My people!" Ali'imalu voice rang out through the silent villagers. "It has been many days since our lost son Ka'eo returned to us from the distant waters of our ancestors. He has proven himself a wise and cunning lord, a prince among men." The old chief looked proudly at his grandson, and Tao tried not to look embarrassed. "For these reasons I have consulted with the gods, a weighty decision in my mind."

At these words, Esteban began to feel very nervous. A sudden wind picked up, causing the torches to flicker and nearly go out. Then the chief continued, "The gods have spoken and I obey their word. My people, when I make the last journey to our ancient home beneath the waves, Lord Ka'eo will become king in my place!"

The crowd stood aghast for a moment then they began to cheer Tao's new name. Tao himself looked shocked and stood speechless at his grandfather's side. Zia looked at Esteban with a sudden fear in her eyes, but neither of them had a chance to speak before Ali'imalu spoke again and it became quiet. "To seal this act and to create a new alliance with our neighboring villages, Ka'eo will marry Princess Noelani in three days time!"

And with those words, the people of the village began to chant and cheer again, louder than ever. Esteban could not believe what he had heard, and he looked to his friend with apprehension. For Tao, although he looked astounded, did not protest, but continued to stand by his grandfather.

Others, however, were not pleased with this new pronouncement. "I object to this concord, grandfather!" All eyes turned to see Ali'ikai, Tao's older, taller, and, by all appearances, stronger cousin, stepping toward the dais where the chief and the Hivan boy stood. "As a prince of Hilo, I demand that Ka'eo prove his worth in a duel!"

Chief Ali'imalu looked sternly at his other grandson, with disapproval clearly etched on his face. "That is your right as a prince, but think well before you defy the will of the gods!" Ali'ikai stood fast, his face still as if carved from stone. The old chief sighed angrily, but said, "As you wish. You will battle Tao for the right to take my place. The gods will show their favor and protect their chosen one."

"Esteban," Zia pulled on his arm to get his attention. "What are we going to do?"

The child of the sun looked at her for a moment then shifted his eyes back to his best friend. "Tao will have to decide what he thinks is the right thing to do. All we can do is support his choice."

"It seems I am too late," a new voice said. The pair whirled to see Mendoza standing behind them, looking weary and concerned. "Now things are worse. We should have left days ago!"

Esteban wanted to ask what he meant, but the noise from the now anxious village people stopped him. "We need to talk to Tao. Alone!" the navigator declared watching the boy in question as he sat down, looking worried but resolute. Yet Esteban felt sure that whatever Mendoza told the other boy, they would all have to see this through to the end. Whatever that end might be.


End file.
